Broken Bow Book 3: Counterpart
by Xed Alpha
Summary: The son of Artemis meets his match and in the process is forced to juggle married life, an old flame, some interfering gods and a mission to prevent the total collapse of the universe. So, yeah... An average day for Armani. Beta by Shrrgnien.
1. Chapter 1: Marital Bliss

[A/N] Yup, back again with the freshly redone version of this little tale. As usual this has been a beta done by the always amazing Shrrgnien, so all kudos to her for her work on this little remastering, I'll keep pretty quiet on the A/Ns for the rest of the redone chapters until the end, so I'll see you there. Standard disclaimer stands; Rick Riordan retains all rights, only a fic, blah blah blah, will delete if asked, so on and so forth. No let's get on with the show...

**Counterpart**

**Chapter 1: Marital Bliss**

"This is all your fault, Armani!" Dionysus shouted as another crash echoed through the walls of the Big House. William Solace and I did our best to hold the doors closed. They bulged inwards again as the force outside smashed against them repeatedly.

"I'm afraid the logic of that accusation really escapes me!" I snapped back, bracing the door with my shoulder while the god just sat there frowning.

"Can't you do something?" William asked me desperately.

"Like_ what_?" I gaped back at him.

"She's _your_ wife!" Will shouted.

"Yeah? And whose fault was _that,_ might I ask?" I demanded, glaring angrily at the god, who was suddenly trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

Everything suddenly went silent for about thirty seconds.

"Maybe she's calmed down," Will whispered, pressing his ear against the door to listen outside.

This observation was proven rather inaccurate when a pointed tree root thicker than a goalpost slammed through the door like an oversized spear half an inch from his face.

"Di Immortals!" Will yelped in shock and staggered back, landing flat on his backside.

The root tore back, leaving a perfect round hole in the door. Thankfully the appendage didn't take another random stab.

Suddenly there was a sound of loud creaking as the gigantic roots encircling the building tightened, causing the support beams to groan in protest.

"Mr. D…" Will said warningly.

"Oh, _fine!_" he groaned and snapped his fingers in the air. A shimmering white light flowed down the structure and around the floor, then disappeared. The sound stopped dead.

"What happened?" Will asked, glancing around at the walls.

I tapped the wall and listened. There was no echo; it was as if the wall had completely absorbed the sound waves. "I thought so…"

"What?"

"I've seen something like this before. It's a defense charm. Your dad's condo had one just like it."

"I didn't know the Big House had something like that."

Mr. D grunted, "Don't you brats know anything? This place was originally designed to be the camp's last line of defense. If there was an invasion, this place was intended to be the last fallback position, a place big enough to house most of the campers in case of emergency and protect them until help arrived. Didn't you ever stop to wonder why this building was so big? Or why we just _happen_ to store some of the most powerful magical artifacts collected on quests here?"

Will frowned. "Wait a minute, Mr. D. You're saying this place has a defense charm just like my dad's condo, right?"

Mr. D sighed. "A brilliant deduction. Yes, that's what I'm saying. Why?"

"Armani, what happened to that place again?" Will asked me, looking quite nervous.

I glanced cautiously at the doors; I saw where he was going. "It was leveled to the ground."

Dionysus waved it off as he materialized a Diet Coke in his hand. "Pah! This is a totally different situation."

Will still looked pale, "How?"

Dionysus glared at him. "Are you really that stupid? Artemis attacked that place head-on and at full strength. There are _Titans_ who wouldn't go up against that little hellcat when she's in a bad mood. This place might not be entirely god-proof but there's no way a single wood nymph, even one as powerful as her, is breaking in here. You could hole up here as long as you want and there's not a thing she can do about it." He sounded unconcerned and carefree, but considering he could simply dematerialize himself at any time, this wasn't overly reassuring.

William seemed to relax. "So what do we do now, then?"

I glanced at the roots out of the window; they seemed to have relaxed, as if pausing to regroup. "Looks like she's taking a breather."

Will stood up and staggered over to the couch. "Is she still out there?" he asked, nodding at the door.

I leaned back slowly, and carefully peeked out through the hole in the wood. I focused on the one perfectly round clear spot in the ocean of tree roots that swirled around the house. "Yeah, she's still out there…" I said sadly, staring at the solitary figure of Lya, her arms at her sides and a look of wild rage on her small elfish face.

Will's eye appeared at the other side of the hole. "Wow, I've never seen _anyone_ look that peeved off before. And I was here last time the Hunters visited. No offense."

I didn't respond. I wasn't looking at Lya's bared teeth or clenched brow, just the look of utter anguish in her large brown eyes.

_She looks so sad. Oh, gods, what have I done to you?_

"Okay, Armani, what did you say to her?" Will asked suddenly.

"Why do you think it was something I said?"

"Because you were the one talking to her when she lost it!"

I slumped back against the door, peering out of the hole at my shotgun wedded wife. "It's been building up to this for a while now. If anything, Lya's the biggest victim in all of this; I don't blame her for how she's acting."

Will sighed. "Well, it's not like she can stay angry forever, right? I mean, how long can she just stand out there?"

I groaned. "William, Lya is a tree spirit. In case you haven't noticed, trees are _extremely adept _at standing in one place for long periods of time. She could probably be there a decade before she even has to yawn."

"Right, so not good. But how is she doing all this? I know Nymphs have power over their own tree and some of the surroundings, but it looks like she's hijacked the entire _forest,_" Will observed.

It was Dionysus who spoke up. "It's her sisters. Even I know Lya; she's the airheaded one that they're all so overprotective of. Nymphs can get very frat-sisterish, especially around young Nymphs like Lya. So, basically, every Nymph in the forest has thrown their power in with hers, and then you have all the un-spirited trees, which they can take control of at will. Put all that together and what you've got is one very dangerous little Dryad," the god explained as he vaporized his empty can and materialized a new one.

"You said it had been building for a while," Will suddenly said.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"You said this was coming for some time, so what's been going on?"

I groaned and rubbed my sinuses to relieve the headache I could feel coming on. "Oh, it's just…loads of things, it would take ages to go through."

Will shrugged. "We've got plenty of time; maybe we can work something out if we go through it."

I shook my head and walked over to the couch, slumping tiredly down into it. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. To be honest, I've been trying to analyze the past couple of weeks in my head, seeing if there was a way out of the situation."

"Did you work anything out?"

"_Well_, from what I could tell, my whole marital-issues thing seems to have escalated in three stages from the day I got married. Although, as it turns out they don't actually call it "marriage". No, it's just an eternally binding partnership of two eternal spirits, which is _much_ nicer," I muttered sarcastically.

Will frowned. "What do you mean, three stages?"

I nodded, and began counting them off on my fingers. "Stage One: Bad for Lya."

Will didn't seem to grasp it, but nodded. "And then?"

I inclined my head. "Stage Two: Bad for me."

"And what's Stage Three?"

I glanced at the ensnaring roots that darkened the windows and back again. "Stage Three: Bad for everyone."

Will smiled weakly."Should've guessed that one. All right then, so how did Stage One start?"

I stared into the fire as I thought back. "I suppose it all began when I woke up after passing out at my 'wedding'…"

-A-

_Two weeks ago…_

I woke up with the scent of nature in the air around me. For one blissful moment, I forgot where I was and why I was there and reveled in the familiar feeling of the forest around me, but then the moment passed, and I remembered.

_Married…_

A sinking dread filled me as I lay there with my eyes closed. I knew I wasn't alone, but I was scared to find out just what horrors were awaiting me on the other side of my eyelids. I wondered…if I could just pretend to be asleep, they might-

"He's coming through." Chiron's voice sounded from somewhere above me.

_Damn._

There was no helping it, so I flicked my eyes open, adjusting to the glare of the sun shining through the canopy of trees, and glanced around.

Chiron was standing over me. "Welcome back. We thought we'd lost you for a second,"

Percy and Grover were there, looking equally concerned. "How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours," Percy replied.

I grunted as I pushed myself onto my shoulders to get a better look around. "Yeah, sorry about that. My brain sort of chose to shut itself down for a while. System overload, if you follow."

Percy smiled weakly and glanced to a spot to my left. His gaze turned sad, and I followed it.

Lya stood by herself, her small hands gripping the front of her dress as she stared at me with an almost unbearably sad look in her eyes. I knew what was coming, so I waited for her to find her words. After a moment she whispered in a tiny voice, barely managing to get the words out, "Is it true? Did you really not know?"

I gave a sad sigh. What could I say? _'Sorry, Lya, but what most people call the most important day of a girl's life was little more than a practical joke set up by a petty alcoholic god'_? Yeah, I'm sure that would've made her feel _much_ better.

"Did you…even know how I felt about you?" she asked after a moment in a trembling tone.

"I'm sorry; I'm just not very good at understanding things like this. Until lately I didn't even know what love _felt_ like."

She glanced away. "And now? Did you ever even _like_ me?"

"Of course I like you! How can you even ask me that?"

She still didn't bring her chlorophyll-stained eyes back to me. "But you never loved me…" she whispered, her hand running over the rose still attached to her arm.

I stared at her in silence, desperately trying to analyze my confused feelings. Strange, conflicting emotions were swirling about like a storm inside me. Every time I tried to get a feel on one it seemed to slip from my grasp. I clenched my fist in frustration. "I don't _know,_" I whispered desperately.

She choked back a sob, nodded once, and bolted off into the trees, her brown hair trailing behind her.

"Lya!" I shouted and pushed myself quickly to my feet.

"Perhaps…" Chiron began, raising a hand, "…it would be best if you gave her some time. Maybe if you let her accept what has happened, it will help give her the chance to move on. Nymphs have very fragile hearts, and it might destroy her-"

"Chiron," I interrupted suddenly. One emotion had finally surfaced through the storm. It was clear and bright and I recognized it as a mass of concentrated and building fury. "…You _knew_, didn't you?"

"Ah..." Chiron looked like he was about to speak, but simply trailed off, not answering.

"Just a nice big joke for you and Dionysus!"

"That's not true! I would've told you if he hadn't-"

I cut him off again. "Centaurs are fast, aren't they?" I asked, staring off into the forest after Lya.

"W-why?"

"Just answer; you're quite fast runners, aren't you?"

He hesitated before answering. "Of course; it's one of the things we're most renowned for."

I inclined my head, still not facing him. "_Good_, because if what you've done does, as you say, _destroy her, _then I swear, no matter how fast you run, it won't be fast enough." I saw the centaur pale slightly out of the corner of my eye and back up a few steps.

Without another word, I shot off into the forest after the nymph. It was true that I really should've been more angry at Mr. D and not his unwilling accomplice, and I had no doubt that I would apologize to Chiron later, but this way I felt he'd at least think twice before going along with something like this again.

Learning experiences are fun like that.

-A-

I didn't need to search to know where to find her. I found the nymph huddled in the branches of her tree, weeping openly into her hair, which she had hugged around herself like a blanket.

_Just what are you doing?_

I had no answer for my cautious-as-ever instincts, as I had no conscious idea as to what I really _should_ do. I supposed I would just have to wing it.

I crouched down and leapt up into the limbs of the tree, swinging silently from branch to branch to land as quiet as a ghost upon the batch of limbs where the small girl was sitting, legs hugged up to her chest and her brown hair surrounding her.

I stood silently and watched her for a moment. Her back trembled occasionally as a sob would wrack through her, causing her to let out a small whimper each time.

I crouched down and shuffled up next to her. Her body tensed as she felt me squeeze beside her on the group of branches, which thankfully accommodated us both, mainly due to Lya's small size. I myself was not exactly of large stature, either.

Her sobs faded slightly after a moment. I could tell she was waiting for me to speak, and so I complied. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"W-What?" she asked, hiccupping mid-speak.

"I'm not trying to sound exasperated, just genuinely curious…so, why me?"

She parted her hair and looked up with her green blood-shot eyes. "Whad'ya mean?"

"Well, I was just wondering. Since there's loads of eligible nature spirits in this area, many of whom would probably kill to have a shot at you, why did you get so set on me? Was it just the whole son-of-the-forest-goddess thing and you being a tree?"

She wiped an eye with her finger and sniffled before answering. "That was part of it. All the others in the forest felt it, too. You felt more akin to us than anything we'd ever sensed before. That and you're kinda cute, too" she explained, choking out a laugh before continuing in a quiet tone. "But that wasn't just it; not with me, anyway."

"Oh? What was it, then?"

She looked me straight in the eyes, as if remembering something she'd felt before. "You looked really lonely…"

It was not the response I had expected. "What?"

Lya was hugging her knees tightly again. "When I first saw you, before I knew who you were, something told me that there was only one of you. When you were sleeping, I could feel your life force through my branches, and it felt so _alone_."

I pondered her words, stunned, as I'd never even pegged myself for the lonely sort. _Solitary,_ maybe, but _lonely_?

"There's only one of me, too" she said after a moment.

I blinked. "Say again?

"In the forest; there's plenty of Pines, Oaks, bushes, and even some Redwoods, but there's only one of me."

"_Picea Abies_" I said, nodding

"Huh?"

I smiled weakly. "Norwegian Spruce; not native at all to these parts. Amazingly large, too; has to be the finest specimen I've ever seen."

Lya blushed. "You're just saying that"

I shook my head, glad she had stopped crying, at least. "No, I know my trees, and I've never seen any spruce of such a young age with branches so well developed that they can support two people."

She looked at me nervously, her pointed ears twitching slightly. "You mean it?"

I smiled and rested a hand on her head. "I can honestly say, Lya, that you are by far my favorite tree of all."

She looked like she was about to smile, but then her face fell again. "You don't love me, though…"

I glanced away. "I honestly don't know what real love feels like, not really…"

"Then that's it!" Lya suddenly shouted in a triumphant tone. I was so taken aback that I fell right out of her tree. She leapt up with a beaming smile, as if someone had just flicked a switch in her head and turned off her sorrow.

For some reason it made me nervous. "W-what? What's it?"

She pointed a finger down at me. "I'll just _prove_ that you love me!"

My eyes widened. "Yeah? And how are you going to accomplish that?"

She hesitated mid-point. "I don't know yet," she said, her tone as excited as ever. "…But I will, soon! You just wait, I'll _prove_ to you how I feel and show you that you feel the same way too!" On that she leapt out of her branches and ran off into the forest, giggling and talking excitedly to herself.

I watched her go and breathed a defeated sigh.

_Well I'll be: a bipolar tree._

To be honest, this didn't really seem odd in comparison with the fact that she seemed fine with the idea of getting married and THEN making her partner fall in love with her. Perhaps trees don't care about the order of things so long as everything gets sorted eventually.

They're patient that way.

I picked myself up and walked off with a sinking feeling. I didn't know what Lya was going to do to prove her affections…and I wasn't sure I wanted to.

-A-

"So that turned out okay. How did we get from happy Lya to…well…not-so-happy Lya?" Will asked.

"Stage Two," I said simply.

"Oh, yeah, forgot there's still more to come. So then what happened?"

I sighed. "Well, she spent the next several days trying to win my heart by giving me food."

Will nodded sagely. "Through the stomach, very classic."

I nodded. "Unfortunately, the most Lya really knew about human nourishment was that we drank water through our mouths and not through our feet. It took me _two hours_ just to explain the difference between toes and roots to her."

"So what did she do?"

"Well, first she tried the traditional angle; she went with sweets."

"But where would a nymph get candy in Camp Half-Blood?"

"There's only one place that has a ready supply," I explained, "the Aphrodite cabin."

Will blanched. "The Aphrodite kids? But don't they all-"

"Hate me? Why, as a matter of fact, _yes_, they do."

Will winced. He could see where this was going. "What was in them?"

"Thankfully, nothing too bad, since they didn't have time to concoct anything. They went with a mid-strength paralyzing agent."

"Oh, so _that's_ why you were in the infirmary for two days."

"Yes, Will. Luckily I only took one bite before I realized something was up."

"Hang on; did any of the Aphrodite campers eat any?" Will asked.

"No, why?"

"Then why were half a dozen of them put in the infirmary about the same time?"

"Lya doesn't like being made a fool of," I responded simply.

"_Ouch._"

I inclined my head acceptingly. "As you can see, she can be scary when she's mad."

"All right, then what?"

"Then she decided to just go for normal food. So, in keeping with being her, she made me soup with nothing but forest vegetables, roots and things from the trees."

"Oh, that sounds nice…or not?" he finished, catching the look on my face.

"Let's just say ground Laburnum pods are not a good thing to use as seasoning, no matter how 'yummy' they smell."

"Laburnum pods?" Will asked. "But those are-"

"—Poisonous," Dionysus interrupted around a mouthful of red grapes. "I'm enjoying your tale of woe, though. It makes me happy."

"So…" Will prompted.

"_So_, after getting me hospitalized twice in as many days and apologizing most heartily, she promised she'd get me a present instead."

"A present?"

I nodded. "A present, and I quote, 'so amazingly wonderful, thoughtful and loving that you'll simply _have_ to see how I feel and you won't be able to help yourself from falling madly in love with me'," I said, doing my best Lya impression in a falsetto voice.

"That bad, huh?" Will asked.

"You have no idea…"

"So what'd she get you?"

"Well, you know that sparring session we had a few days back in the arena?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, do you remember what we were talking about while we fought?"

The son of Apollo's brow knitted together as he tried to recall. "Ah! Favorite movies! I was asking you what your favorite film of all time was."

"And I said-"

"_The Deer Hunter_, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. Despite its deceptive lack of any serious hunting, I found it to be a fine example of modern cinema."

"Right, but what's that have to do with Lya?"

"Well, you see…"

-A-

Lya was practically bouncing around me with excitement as I approached the Artemis cabin. "Lya, am I going to regret what I see in here?"

"Nuh-uh! I thought long and hard about this one, and there's no way no how that you're not going to love it!"

"Okay…" I said as I swung the door open. Lya slipped in ahead of me, having decided herself that she could come and go from cabin eight as she pleased.

She twirled about and stopped in front of me, positively beaming. "You know how you said to Will that you liked that movie _The Deer Hunter_?"

My eyes narrowed, ignoring the fact that she had obviously been spying on me (I was also shocked she even knew what a movie _was_). "_Yeah_, what about it? Please tell me you didn't kill a deer and leave it on my bed. If you did I'm going to be very disappointed in you, Lya."

She shook her head, her body-length hair twirling about her as she did so. "Nope, I got you…_t__his_!" she said and slid out my way, extending a hand at my bed. "Ta-dah!"

I took a step forward, frowning curiously at the shape on my bed. Then several emotions flooded through me; first curiosity, then suspicion, then terrified recognition, finally settling on full-blown panic.

I gulped loudly. "Lya…"

"Uh-huh?" she asked happily, rocking back and forth on her heels, her pointy ears twitching excitedly.

"That's not a present."

The Nymph frowned. "Huh?"

"That's Christopher Walken," I said. I could feel the color draining from my face.

Lya smiled. "Yep!"

I opened my mouth to speak, closed it as the words escaped me, and chewed on a knuckle. "Lya…forgive me for seeming somewhat at a loss. I never thought that in any situation, in any scenario, in any universe, I would _ever_ have to say the following words. Lya…"

"Yeah?"

"What is Christopher Walken doing in my bed?"

"He's your present!" she said happily.

"My _what_?" I hissed, scared of waking the man. He appeared unconscious, and was tied up with tree roots.

"You said you liked _The Deer Hunter_. I asked around with some people and they said he was in that!"

"_Jeez,_ Lya! If I said I liked the ending to _Braveheart_ would you kill Mel Gibson and bring me his dismembered corpse?"

Lya's face fell. "Why?" she asked nervously. "Do you like the ending to _Braveheart_?"

"Not especially!" I hissed again.

"Oh, that's good."

"Lya we need to-"

"I don't wanna kill Mel Gibson."

"Lya-"

"He's bigger than me, for one thing-"

"LYA!" I shouted. "No one's killing Mel Gibson! At least not you or I. So just tell me; why…_h__ow_ did you get him?"

Lya's smile came back in full force. "I know an Oak, who knows an Elm, who knows a Pine, who knows a Cedar, who knows a Fir tree whose cousin grows outside his bedroom window."

"_You kidnapped Christopher Walken?"_

Lya frowned. "We did not kidnap him! We just tied him up and took him out of his house without asking."

I rubbed my brow to halt the oncoming headache. "So you took him through the root system. How did he _sleep_ through something like that?"

"Oh!" Lya said and began rummaging down inside her dress. "This!" she said holding up a small bag. "Sleeping sand! One of the Morpheus kids gave it to me, enough to keep him out for hours!" Suddenly a groaning noise came from the bed. "Or not…"

I clenched my teeth angrily. "Seriously, Lya, we've got to get rid of him!" I hissed.

Lya cocked her head. "Why? I thought you liked that thing he was in."

"That's besides the-"

"W-Where am I?" A dreary voice spoke up from my left.

I rolled my eyes. "You're dreaming, Mister Walken. Go back to sleep. Lya, we _have to_-"

"Really? This don't feel like a dream."

And then Lya said something perfectly random and brilliant that probably saved our bacon. "Hiya! I'm a wood nymph. My name's Lya!"

"Okay, so I'm dreaming," Christopher Walken said agreeably.

"Lya, I need to know how we can get rid of this-"

"And who are you?"

I swung around at the man who wouldn't let me finish a sentence. "I'm the immaculate son of a virgin!" I snapped pedantically and turned back to Lya to continue.

"What? Like Jesus?"

I rolled my eyes again. "Yes, Mister Walken, I'm Jesus. Now if you'll excuse me for a moment…"

"Okay…I was just checking"

"How do we send him back?"

"You really don't want him to stay?" she asked, her face in full pout.

"I think his wife might miss him in the morning!"

"M'kay, you'd better bring him then," Lya mumbled. She turned and left the cabin, not meeting my eyes. I was alone again…well, _almost_ alone.

"Lemme guess; lady problems?"

I slumped sideways against the wooden doorframe. "You might say that. She's a nymph, actually."

Christopher cocked his head. "Meh, a woman's a woman. She someone close to you?"

"She's sort of my wife…"

Oddly, he didn't question the idea of "Jesus" being married to a wood nymph. He just nodded. "I see, having second thoughts?"

"I never even had _first _thoughts, oh gods this is such a mess…"

"You want my advice?"

I sighed. "Go ahead."

"Go tell her how you feel. In my forty years of marriage to the same wonderful woman, I can honestly say that truth is the most important thing you can possibly have between you. Without it you've got nothing."

_Marriage counseling from Christopher Walken…It's a funny old world._

-A-

"And then what happened?" Will asked.

"Well, we passed him to one of the Nymphs, who sent him back through the root system. A disaster narrowly averted, although he did give me this…" I said, rummaging in my back pocket and passing Will a folded piece of paper.

He unfolded it and read it aloud. "_To Jesus...Come back soon, we all miss you…Chris_. Ahh, well that was nice of him."

"Yeah, nice guy."

"So is that the end of Stage Two?" Will asked.

I nodded. "I noticed Lya had disappeared once we had disposed of her 'gift'; she was back in her usual place, of course. Thus begins Stage Three..."

-A-

"I really tried this time. Really, really tried," Lya said in a small voice, wrapped up in her hair once again.

I sighed and rested an arm around her petit shoulders. "I know you did, and it was sweet in a way."

She looked up at me with teary eyes, back in Sad Lya mode again. "What more can I do?" she asked in a pleading tone, her voice breaking.

"I like you a lot Lya, I really do, but I just don't get the whole love thing yet."

She responded by sobbing louder into her hands.

I rubbed her back. "There, there…_'There there'_? Gods, was that as cliché as it sounded?"

She choked out a small laugh. "It's nice when you say it."

I decided to listen to the advice I had been given and tell her how I felt. "I've lived in isolation for most of my life. People learn skills; how to feel, how to act, including how to love, pretty much entirely from their interactions with other people. Needless to say, I still have a long ways to go. I'm glad for once that I have eternal life, because I still have so much to learn. Who knows, perhaps I really am lonely. I probably just don't know it yet."

I blinked as Lya shuffled closer to me. "Guess I'll have to be a patient nymph, then, until you do. But then you're all mine, got it?" she said, adding the last part with a petulant scowl.

I smiled and ran a hand through her hair. "Understood." I laid back and took a deep breath, savoring the taste of pine in the air. "Makes me wonder what would've happened if Dionysus had just told me what was going to happen."

Lya frowned. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "Old Mr. D knew I didn't know about the marriage thing and thought it would be funny to let me find out when it was too late. Something wrong, Lya?" I asked, noticing her teeth starting to grit and a borderline manic look surfacing in her eyes.

"Dionysus…_k__new?_"

"Yeah, well, spilled milk and all that…" I laughed ironically. "And I thought the whole Aren situation was complicated…"

Lya blinked and pushed her anger aside for a second. "Who's Aren?"

I opened my mouth to answer when a strange chill went through me.

_If I might voice a word of objection at your answering that query…_

I gave a start at the sudden intrusion by my gut in my thought process. "Strange…Anyways-"

_I'm serious!_

"As I was-"

_Don't you remember what happened last time you ignored me?_

I shook my head, feeling quite dizzy.

_We ended up _married _is what happened!_

"Armani?" Lya questioned, blinking her curious brown eyes at me.

"Sorry, Lya, just got a slightly bad feeling there for a sec…"

_You're going to ignore me again, aren't you?_

Lya's eyes narrowed. "So, who's Aren?"

And then I did the dumbest thing conceivable.

I told her.

-A-

_Thirty seconds later_….

"Oh, hi Armani!" William called as he saw me bolting through the forest towards him at top speed. "What's wrong?" he asked as I skidded to a halt for a second.

I gasped for breath. "What's Wrong? I listened to Christopher Walken is what's wrong! Oh _crud!_" I snapped. Will's eyes followed mine and he gasped in horror at the tidal wave of roots hurtling towards me.

"What in Hades?" he gasped, dropping the wood he had been collecting.

"Run, Solace! RUN!"

I was making a break for cabin eight when the entire row of buildings was suddenly engulfed in furious intertwining greenery. The other half-bloods lingering about bolted in various directions, reaching their cabins if they could or, if not, making a break for any sheltered area.

Will glanced back over his head at the sea of green crashing over the camp. "Isn't that _Lya_ riding on top of that thing?"

I glanced back as I ran. "Yeah…she got a little upset…"

"A _little_?"

"Not now William, just run!"

"Don't need to tell me twice; and stop calling me William!"

I skidded as the vines circled around the paths, cutting off areas of escape. "Big House, quick!"

Mr. D was sitting on the porch reading _Wine Taster Monthly_ when we ran up. "Now what?"

I ground to a halt, gasping for air. "Mr. D, little tip, you might want to step inside for a moment!"

"What do you…" he trailed off as he looked past us and saw the ocean of greenery cascading towards him.

"**DIONYSUS!**" Lya's enraged voice screamed over the rumbling of a million tree roots.

If I didn't know better I could've sworn the god gulped. "You know what? I think it's getting a bit chilly out here. I'm going to step inside for a while." He gripped his magazine and ran inside with us on his tail.

Will and I slammed to doors shut just as the writhing mass crashed into the wooden structure…

-A-

"Wait, wait: wait just a moment," William said, raising a finger. "So let me get this straight. You thought it would be smart to tell your already furious wife that there was another woman in the picture?"

"There was not _'_another woman'! I simply explained to Lya that there happened to be a fellow Hunter who happened to be female, whom I happened to be in love with at one point, whom I hadn't quite resolved my feelings with, and that I had to kiss her once!"

William went silent for a moment. "…You're really not that bright, are you?"

I gritted my teeth angrily. "Regardless. I need to find a way to calm her down…" I said, pushing myself up and glancing out of the hole in the door. Yes, she was still there, and still staring daggers at the door.

_Bipolar is right…_

"Mr. D…" I began, still looking out through the hole, "You said there were artifacts collected from quests in this place, right?"

Dionysus glanced irritably up from his magazine. "What about it?"

"Well do you know if there's anything that we can use, something that could calm her down?"

Dionysus grunted. "I dunno; why should I care, anyway?"

My eyes narrowed at the god. "Remind me, Lord Dionysus, what exactly happened the last time you messed with the heart of a wood nymph and Zeus found out?"

He didn't look up, but judging by the way he gripped his literature, I had struck a nerve.

"That was different!" he whispered, as if worried someone might hear.

I raised an eyebrow. "Zeus might see it that way, but then again…he might not."

Dionysus glanced up, his eyes burning into mine with terrifying ferocity. "Attic, left of the window, pile of boxes, should be something in there you can use. Look for something belonging to Morpheus or Aphrodite; that should do the trick. There, _satisfied!_?" he asked, glaring at me over the top of the page.

I smiled and bowed. "Thank you kindly for your assistance, Lord Dionysus." His response was a string of Greek curses that would be in very bad taste to translate.

-A-

I climbed the steps into the attic, coughing at the dust that assaulted my throat, and stopped in the middle of the cluttered space.

It was filled with boxes, wall to wall, and there were miscellaneous bits and pieces, ranging from armor to crystals to dolls and other trinkets scattered all over. Some were in boxes, others just leaning haphazardly against them. Each had either a tag or label stuck to them identifying them and how they came to be in this place.

The only out-of-place item was a single wooden chair lit up by a shaft of light from the window.

I circled the piece of furniture. For some reason it gave off a very strange vibe, though I got the feeling that, like most of the things in here, it was now little more than a relic that no longer served a purpose.

I dragged several boxes from the pile to the immediate left of the window down to the floor.

I tore the tape off the first one. The inside was filled with wool, which padded a series of pickle jars containing various eyes, noses, fingers and… _other_ body parts.

_Of help? Doubtful._

Sliding the box out of the way, I opened the second. This one was filled with various weapons, each with a label naming a different enchanted effect.

I had no intention of stabbing Lya with anything, but I glanced briefly at the various labels.

"_Hmm_, Petrifying Dagger…Blade of Withering Hope…Apollo's Singing Sword…" that last one took the last of my patience, so I shoved the sword box aside and tore open the third.

This one was different; it was filled with plates.

_I may not know that much about girls, but something tells me if I hurled these at her it would just make her madder._

I reached down to push it aside, but as soon as my hand brushed the first upside down plate, a fragile-looking octagonal thing, a huge flash of pink light erupted from its surface and sent me staggering onto my behind.

_Okay…that has some power._

Suddenly the room was filled with a strange muttering noise, like muffled voices.

I pushed myself up onto my haunches to look back into the box. The plate was no longer covered in dust, but shiny, as if brand-new. Its surface was made of a strange pink glass and studded with rubies. I slid my hand into my sleeve so I wouldn't be touching it directly and picked up the artifact.

The instant I lifted it the voices became clear, like a speaker that had been muffled by a carpet suddenly being stood up.

"Tell me how to release them!" a clear female voice suddenly resonated through the room; it had an air of rage and command to it.

_Careful…_

The tag on the plate dangled down in front of me. Ignoring the voices for the moment, I frowned at the tag, trying to decipher the curly label.

_Aphrodite's Mirror of Choices_. _Stolen by Thomas Reenings, son of Hephaestus, from Aphrodite's penthouse. 1984._

"Mirror?" I muttered, and flipped it over in my hand to find that, indeed, the surface of the other side was perfectly clear.

The image in it was not my own reflection, however. In fact, the face I saw nearly made me drop it in shock.

_Aphrodite?_

The love goddess was standing with her arms folded and a pitying smile on her face. She was wearing a skimpy nightdress and standing in what looked like a typical honeymoon suite.

There was someone else there, too; a girl in black jeans and a dark shirt. That was all I could make out from my vantage point; unfortunately, most of the image was dominated by Aphrodite.

Judging by the strip of celestial bronze swaying back and forth in the image, the black-clad form was also armed and prepped to strike.

"Oh you poor, poor dear. You really don't see, do you? How can I release those who have already been set free?" the goddess said in her sickly sweet patronizing tone. It irritated me to no end, and judging by the way the girl's body tensed it angered her in a similar way.

"Just FYI, Lady Aphrodite, I am on a very, _very_ short fuse right now, and unless you stop beating around the bush and return the Hunters to how they were, I'm going to have to start _breaking_ things," the girl said tersely.

_I like this girl!_

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "So I _was_ right; you really don't understand."

"Understand _what_?"

"I can only undo effects caused by me directly. If you recall, the power of love that was placed into them came from _you_, not me," she explained.

"A power that YOU forced into me!" she snapped, stabbing her sword in Aphrodite's direction. "You were the one who forced that power into me, and it would have gotten me, too, had my mother not stopped you!"

_What is this? The Aphrodite channel?_

"The power that affected the Hunters came from you as a side effect. It may have fizzled out when you kissed young Mr. Di Angelo, but every compatible Hunter you encountered up until then absorbed that power from you."

I heard the girl take a shuddering breath. "Like a plague…And I was the carrier."

Aphrodite's face darkened at the analogy. "Don't you _dare_ refer to love like that. I may not be Artemis or Ares, but I assure you I still hold the power to destroy you. Just look behind you," the goddess said, extending her hand behind the girl.

The girl's body twisted around giving me little more than a view of the front of her shirt. "W-what is this?" she breathed out.

Aphrodite clasped her hands behind her back and paced forwards. "This is more than just a wall mirror. It shows all of those precious what-if's that people go through in their love lives. Before, the Hunters didn't even occupy a space here, they were totally invisible. Now that they know love, you've effectively set them free from the chains Artemis bound them with!"

"These are…the Hunters?" the girl said, obviously staring at whatever it was that was in front of her.

Aphrodite nodded. "All their possibilities; this mirror was created by the Fates themselves. Every left that could've been a right, every cappuccino that could've been an espresso, every choice that leads up to their next encounter. Of course, since it's mine, it can only be used to influence those choices that deal with love."

"What do you mean, change them?"

Aphrodite smiled. "Every image you see in front of you. Each one that looks like a tile in a collage of images, can be altered, even manipulated." The goddess laughed suddenly. "You could even destroy them! Would that be better? Smash that mirror and you remove the place the Hunter's existence occupies in this universe entirely. Every effect they've had, every blade of grass they moved and every head they turned. But no, you won't do that; you're far too loyal to the Hunters to do such a thing, even if it means letting them all fall in love and leaving Artemis without her little squad of handmaidens. Though I assure you, they will be far happier this way. Now at least they have a chance to live a meaningful life that doesn't involve serving that little brat for all time or until they die in her name."

The girl's grip tightened on her sword. "So you're saying, because of me being the one who changed them, there's nothing you can do?"

The goddess shrugged. "Not that I'd want to anyway, but no. dear, I'm afraid not."

The girl lowered her sword, obviously watching whatever it was she could see in front of her. "Can you show me _my_ existence?" she asked after a moment of silence.

The goddess shrugged. "Now that you've been connected to me, too, that's a trifle," she said, and waved her hand. "And there you are, in all those tiny frames. All your choices in life."

"All my choices that have to do with love, you mean," the girl said. Her tone had an amused edge that I found enjoyable.

Aphrodite's brow twitched. "What?"

The girl swung around. "You just said you can only see or alter things that relate to love, which is your domain. There's no way you'd have the power to alter _every_ choice a person can make in their life. You may be a goddess, but not even you have that power."

"So what?"

I could tell by her voice that the girl was smirking. "_So_, if what you're saying is true, and all the other Hunters falling in love was my fault, then that just makes me want to do _this_!" The girl raised the hilt of her sword and swung it down at the mirror.

"STOP!" Aphrodite shouted, her hand reaching out to stop her, but it was already far too late.

The hilt cracked into the surface of the image and another blinding flash of pink light appeared. I recoiled instinctively away and tossed the mirror down.

I probably should've been a tad more careful.

The mirror cracked on the wooden floor and exploded into a blaze of pink light ten times brighter than before.

The sound was so deafening that, through ringing ears, I was only partially aware of being sent hurtling backwards across the attic, through another pile of boxes, and smashing off a rafter with a sickening _crack_.

I grunted in pain from within a pile of torn cardboard and broken helms as my vision stabilized.

"Sweet Deus Ex Machina…" I grunted, pushing myself up. "…What in Hades was _that_?" I shouted as I steadied myself on my feet.

I didn't notice the dark form until the roundhouse kick hit me square in the gut and I found myself hurtling back into the mound of boxes.

_Okay…mad now._

Now, I'd like you to take into account that I had not really had a very pleasant day up until now. My wood nymph partner had attacked me in a rage, I had been hurled through the air, and I felt like I was once again being made into the universe's punching bag. Therefore I feel my reaction was understandable.

I exploded out of the boxes with a roar so loud it made my still-ringing ears hurt. I landed in the middle of the attic and, ignoring my sword, summoned my bow without hesitation. My silver aura pulsed madly around me with the intensity of a full moon as I aimed an arrow.

I found a girl standing there, a look of surprise and shock on her face and a naked blade in her hand. I was so angry I did little more than a threat assessment on her.

_At this range…dead._

The girl clenched her fist. "Identify yourself! Where am I?"

I cocked my head, sneering. "Didn't you know it's _rude_ to demand the name of another without introducing yourself first? You know what else is rude, kicking someone in the chest for no reason!" I snapped. Her eyes were focused intensely on my bow and I could see an odd form of disbelief in them.

She was panicked, that much was obvious. Her long auburn hair was tied in a braid behind her as she stared at me with oddly familiar sharp features and, unless I had hit my head harder than I thought, a pair of piercing silver eyes.

She crouched. I immediately recognized it as an attack position, like a serpent coiling to strike. She was frightened and shocked and I knew there was no way she could get behind my guard.

However, the instant before she lunged she said one thing, one thing that broke my guard better than if she had used a battering ram to do so.

"You can call me Selene, Selene Dove…Daughter of Artemis."

She charged.

_To be continued..._

-XA-

[A/N] And that's that, the reupload will continue soon.

I'll see you all in Chapter 2: Battle of the Sexes.


	2. Chapter 2: Battle of the Sexes

[A/N] Welcome back to the beta version of Counterpart. Now let's continue shall we?

**Counterpart**

**Chapter 2: Battle of the Sexes**

_Daughter of WHO now?_

My thoughts were interrupted brutally as the girl calling herself Selene threw herself forwards and under my guard.

She planted her foot to brace herself and swung a fist upwards to catch me in the jaw. I only managed to avoid her by throwing myself into a back flip to put some distance between us, dismissing my bow and drawing my sword before landing. This was a wise choice, as she had already leaped into the air, sword above her head, for a brutal overhead strike.

I grabbed the hilt of my blade with both hands as her sword struck mine, sending shower of golden sparks up at contact and pushing me down slightly. "I'll ask again…" she said through gritted teeth. She was trying to force me down, but luckily it seemed I had a slight edge in brute strength. "_Name_?"

I inclined my head as we grappled and pushed up slightly. "You ask me _after_ attempting to remove my head?"

"You didn't answer the first time, so I figured a bit of gentle persuasion would loosen your tongue. For a servant of Aphrodite you're pretty tough, I'll give you that," she grunted as I pushed her back.

My eyes narrowed at her. "A servant of _who_ now?" I asked and pushed the girl's blade away. She leapt back for safety, staggering slightly as if disoriented. I noticed her eyes go in and out of focus for a second.

_She's injured, possibly concussed._

"All right, if this isn't Aphrodite's place then where am I? Is this…the Underworld?"

I glanced around me. "_No_, it's the attic."

She blinked and looked around. "Oh…so it is."

"But I'll hazard a guess you're a long way from home."

Selene raised a hand to her temple, shaking her head weakly. "W-what?" suddenly her eyes cleared and she narrowed them dangerously at me. "Who are you?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "I'd tell you, but I have the distinct feeling that the answer would really tick you off. And on that note, I still doubt that you've told me the truth of your own identity."

She twirled her sword once in her hand in a disturbingly familiar manner, although I noticed her blade wasn't a single handed sword, which was my melee weapon of choice, but a celestial bronze kodachi; a Japanese short-sword. "_All right_, then how did I get here, wherever this is?"

A thought suddenly occurred to me as I stared at the caramel-haired stranger; a very disturbing one that I prayed was wrong. "I broke a mirror…" I said after a moment, more to myself than anyone else.

"No… _I_ broke a mirror," she corrected tersely.

I nodded, still lost in thought. "So I saw…"

I saw her tense out of the corner of my eye. "You _saw_? So you were watching! What happened, did you drag me away when I blacked out?"

I was still thinking, barely paying attention. "Don't be preposterous, now calm down while I think…So, I broke Aphrodite's Mirror of Choices…and then-" I was interrupted brutally as Selene charged again. Interestingly my hand moved on auto-pilot; I felt her approach and her strike flowing through me. "Now that's interesting…" I said detachedly as her blade clashed with mine.

She staggered again as I repelled her; she seemed dizzy and unstable on her feet. She stared at me in bewilderment and I turned on her, leveling my sword in her direction.

As I took on an offensive stance I spoke up, "I'm going to test a supposition, would you care to assist me?"

Her auburn eyebrows went up. "_Excuse me_?"

"Just bear with me on this one," I said and charged forward. I swung my sword to strike and her sword hand immediately shot up to parry. I spun about for a mid-level strike but her blade was already waiting for me. Her leg swung out to kick me back but I was already in the air to leap above it.

I brought my sword down on her as I landed, but she was prepared. Her sword was already in her other hand, up to defend.

_Counter after counter after counter…_

As our blades clashed I leapt back the instant I got footing on the ground.

As I stopped I stared at my sword curiously then back at the girl to find her looking at me with that disbelieving stare again. "You have the Hunt in you…" she said after a moment's silence.

I inclined my head. "Likewise; why, you're positively glowing, my friend," I said with an amused smile as her silver aura pulsed beneath her skin.

"I could say the same," she said in an uncertain voice, then lowered her sword slightly. "Would you be so kind as to tell me exactly who you are?"

I nodded. "Since you've decided to ask nicely, I'll tell you. My name is Armani Dove, _son_ of Artemis…" A small smirk tweaked at my lips. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Those eyebrows went up again and she stared at me mutely. "Come again?" she asked after a moment's disbelieving silence.

My smile widened slightly. "Care to repeat your name?"

She wavered on her feet slightly. Whatever injury she had sustained was clearly overtaking her. "Selene…Dove, Daughter of Artemis."

I eyed her inquisitively. Her caramel hair was in bangs like mine, but had grown down in the back and was tied into a thick braid. Her black shirt was actually more like a tight-fitting blouse, and a sheath was slung across her back.

"Might I ask you something?" she said after a moment, startling me out of my observation.

"Sorry, go right ahead."

"Do you have a _death wish_?" she asked, raising her blade up again.

I frowned. "Meaning?"

"Did you think making up something that absurd would knock me off balance?" she asked and I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Don't roll your eyes at me!"

"Sorry."

"Shall I tell you what _I've _observed?"

I smiled again. "By all means."

"I'm in a combat situation, a goddess in front of me; I destroy one of their more powerful enchanted items and next thing I know I'm on the floor with you in the room. Now, what should I think? An enemy who dragged me away to some shack while I was unconscious? Or, oh, I don't know, a son of Artemis who happens to share the same last name as me somehow in the attic at Camp Half-Blood?"

"There's no need to be sarcastic…" I muttered.

_Hypocrite!_

The girl's teeth clenched. "Sorry, boy, but this is how I get when I'm tense. Now will you start telling me the truth or not?"

"Then how do you explain the power you sense in me?"

She hesitated, "I _can't, _but_-_"

"Or the fact you're reading my moves as if they were your own?"

"I-"

"And I take it you saw my bow."

"But it's impossible! There can only be one!"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Who are you, the Highlander?"

She closed her mouth and glanced off to the side. "Damn…movie cliché. Sorry about that."

"It happens."

"_Anyway!_" Selene snapped. "If you're telling the truth, and this really is Camp Half-Blood, then it should be right outside that window," she said. Stabbing a thumb over her shoulder, she began backing up towards it.

I nodded acceptingly. "Go right ahead."

_I get the feeling I'm forgetting about something…_

It hit me just as her hand grabbed the double-window's catch and was about to throw it open. "Wait! Don't open that!"

She narrowed her silver eyes over her shoulder at me. "You _are_ aware that just makes me want to open it more, aren't you?"

"Okay, I guess I should've seen that coming, but seriously! It would be very bad for you to open those windows right now!"

"Yeah? Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"It's a very long and tragic story. But it would be best if you came away from there!"

"With all due respect, which isn't very much, I think I'll take my chances." At that she flung the windows open, grasped hold of the frame and flipped herself up and out onto the roof.

I was left standing with an outstretched hand and an open mouth.

_She went outside…She actually went outside. GODS, I've never met anyone this dense in my entire life!_

I clenched a fist in frustration. "Best go get her before she goes and gets herself _killed_…"

Very, _very_ slowly, I crept toward the open window.

It was then that I spied a small trail of dark liquid leading up to the window where Selene had been standing. I rubbed a drop between my fingers and a pang of worry shot through me.

_She's in much more trouble than I thought._

Without any further thought I climbed up and slid out sideways onto the wooden roof.

-A-

Selene was waiting.

As soon as I was halfway out her hands had grabbed my collar and yanked me face to face with her.

I couldn't help but notice her cheeks looking slightly pale "What have you done? What have you done to camp?" she demanded with a snarl and she released one hand to press the blade of her sword to my throat. "Seconds, boy, that's how long I'm giving you. Normally I'm a very patient person, but I'm having a _very_ unpleasant day, and I'm afraid you're just the icing on my cake."

I glanced down at the camp, which now looked like a strange alien landscape, what with all the tree roots overrunning it. "I didn't do that! Okay, maybe I was _partially_ responsible but- OUCH!" I gasped as the steel dug into my skin.

"Time's running out!"

Suddenly I lost my composure, too. "No kidding! Nausea and light headedness!"

She blinked in surprise. "W-what?"

I went on. "A cold sensation spreading from the tips of your limbs, body temperature dropping!" her eyes widened and so I continued. "Paleness of the skin, which you can't see by the way. I'm guessing you're feeling a dull ache somewhere in your lower abdomen, too. Now, the concussion you're obviously suffering from may be affecting your judgment and stopping you from working it all out, but shall I help it work things along?" I asked with a sneer and raised a hand in front of her face, fingertips still coated with the wet substance. "Black blood!" I shouted, and through the haze in her eyes I think she caught on as her eyes moved down to her chest. At this distance I could clearly see the stain in the black material.

"I, I-" she shook her head uncertainly, dropping me in the process, and staggered back, "I can still fight!" she snapped and lunged at me again.

I hadn't anticipated that this would be her choice of action, but I assumed her mind must've been a mile away by now. Still, she was strong enough to knock us both flying and sliding down the slanted roof.

We rolled over each other and I managed to brace my legs against the gutter and the window to stop us from falling off. Unfortunately, this left me with the delirious newcomer pinning me down. I was left with the options of either (a) moving to defend myself, causing us both to fall to our deaths, or (b) doing nothing, allowing her to kill me, and thenfall to _her_ death.

It really was one of those days.

She raised the slightly curved blade. "Dead," she said in a tone that was chillingly familiar.

She moved to stab down, and I had to assume that two people, glowing silver and causing a loud ruckus on the roof were difficult to ignore, as a green tendril shot out of nowhere and lashed itself around Selene's wrist like a whip.

"W-wha-" Selene's query was cut off as she was violently yanked off me and up into the air like a rag doll.

I glanced to my right to see a tower of intertwining roots rising up into the air. Lya stood half-embedded in the top of the column, glaring bloody murder at Selene.

"Lya!" I called, pushing myself to my feet.

The nymph turned her attention to me for a second and thrust a hand in my direction. Five vines shot out, wrapped themselves tightly around my midsection, and hoisted me up into the air. "Okay! Seriously, Lya, this is _not_ the time for this!"

"She tried to kill you!" she shouted angrily, tears of rage in her eyes. The root around Selene's arm was growing down her limb and moved to wrap around her throat.

Selene's eyes cleared for a second and looked down hazily at the Nymph. What she did next nearly stopped my heart in shock.

A silver glow pulsed to life in her free left hand. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist, and an instant later she held a familiar silver bow in her hand.

She released the sword she was holding in her captive right hand and an arrow materialized in its place.

I wasn't sure where she was getting her strength from in her current condition, but she managed to wrap her legs around the vine holding her, and in one swift movement had hoisted herself up and around until she was straddling it, bringing her bow up to the arrow.

_Not bad…_

The instant her thumb and forefinger got grip on the nock a devilish smile spread across her face, although judging by the cloudiness of her eyes I seriously doubted she even knew she was wearing it.

Time seemed to slow as Selene swung herself upside down, using the motion to pull the arrow back and take point-blank aim at the wood nymph's head.

Lya let out a panicked squeak and froze like a deer in headlights.

_No!_

I had less than a second to act. I called an arrow myself and used it to slice free of the roots holding my arms. I summoned my bow and loosed the arrow straight at the suspended Selene.

The girl was so tangled up she couldn't avoid the shot as it sliced clean through her arrow's shaft and shattered the bolt into silver splinters.

The sudden change in draw-weight jerked her backwards and round. Her enraged, unfocused silver eyes met mine. "She's the enemy! Prey!" she screamed mindlessly.

Her anger must've been contagious, as I roared right back at her, "SHE'S MY WIFE!" I said this so loud it pretty much snapped me out of it.

_Yes, you really just shouted that._

Selene just stared at me, utterly bewildered. This little bit of information must've been the last she could take. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she went slack in the vines as consciousness escaped her.

Suddenly everything was deathly silent. My eyes were drawn to Lya, who was staring at me, her brown eyes wide.

"Armani…" she said after a moment.

I smiled weakly. "We'll talk later, but please, Lya I need you to put us both down." I glanced at the dangling girl. "It's quite literally a matter of life or death."

Lya nodded and lowered us both slowly down, the roots around her spiraling down to the ground to join the rest.

As I was released on the ground, Lya deposited the unconscious Selene over my shoulder. I immediately turned for the doors.

I froze, as I realized Lya was still standing behind me, shuffling from foot to foot. "Come on, Lya, it's okay," I said, extending my free hand.

She immediately yelped in delight and bolted forwards. I took her tiny hand in my own.

I glanced backwards at the mass of green. "Umm, could you…" I said, nodding at the sea of roots.

"_Oh!_ Okay," Lya said. She clenched her fists, squeezed her eyes shut, and then relaxed. Suddenly there was a slithering sound from all around as the roots began pulling back from around the Big House and retreating back down the path towards the forest, like a tide going out.

"Wow…just like that, huh?"

Lya shrugged. "Pretty much."

And, so whilst the rest of camp was freed from the snare of the forest, I carried the girl inside with the perfectly calm nymph at my side.

-A-

William leapt back with a cry of surprise when Lya strolled into the Big House's entry way. "Jeez, Armani! Is she-"

I nodded. "It's okay. It _is_ okay, isn't it, Lya?"

The nymph nodded sheepishly. "Yeah. Sorry about freaking out."

Will breathed a sigh of relief and slumped back down. "Well, that's one problem solved. How did you calm her down? Did you find something up there in the attic? It sounded like you were fighting a dragon up there."

"You're not far off," I said as I walked to the other chair and laid the unconscious form of Selene down. "William, I need your help. Her injury is way out of my league to treat," I said, staring down at the sickly pale girl.

"Huh, what do you-_ wow_! Where did you find _that_?" Will gaped, looking at the girl in disbelief.

Dionysus grunted. "He walked in carrying her, how did you _miss_ that?"

"Sorry, my attention was a bit distracted by- _anyways_, where'd she come from? Was she outside?"

I shook my head. "No, she was in the attic."

Will frowned. "What? Like in a box or something?"

I rolled my eyes at the assumption. "Not exactly. Now hurry, I doubt she was much time left."

"Right," he said, and immediately his gaze turned serious as his eyes traced over her features. He placed a hand on her forehead and opened an eyelid. "Concussed, definitely, but this almost looks like-"

I dabbed a hand on her lower chest and showed it to him. "William, I think you should be focusing more down here."

His eyes focused on the black substance and widened in shock. "Oh, gods!" He immediately leaned over her chest and tore her lower blouse open, sending a cascade of buttons flying.

"Why Will, you dog, didn't know you had it in you," Mr. D chortled. The dark look William shot him out the corner of his eye told him he clearly wasn't playing around.

"Gods, you weren't kidding," Will said, carefully running his finger around the thick shard of reflective glass that was embedded in her abdomen. "Major liver trauma…" his blue eyes flicked back and forth as if running things through his head. "Armani," he said suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Kitchen; should be some nectar and ambrosia in the refrigerator for emergencies, grab the first aid kit too."

"Right," I said and immediately rushed off to comply.

I returned a moment later with a green box hanging off my finger and my hands filled with a bottle and Tupperware box.

Will was leaning over the prone Selene and I heard a strange deep humming coming from his throat as he held his hands over the wound. "Lya…" he muttered, stopping the sound for a second.

"Y-yes?" she stammered.

"Get some bandages out of that first-aid kit Armani's carrying and come here. I'm going to need your help for a second."

The Nymph let out a nervous whimper, but trotted over, took the box from me and approached Will with bandages in hand.

"Great. Now fold them over to form a compress and get ready to use them to apply pressure on the wound." Lya nodded and did as requested. "Armani, get some of that ambrosia ready. I'll be needing it in a sec."

I dumped the box on the table, retrieved a good-sized square of ambrosia and uncapped the nectar bottle.

Will stopped his humming again. "Ready, Lya?" The dryad nodded nervously in response. "Good, because this might be a bit of a gusher." Lya gulped as Will's humming went up an octave and increased in volume. "On three…" he said, somehow humming under his own voice. "One…"suddenly the wound twitched around the mirror-shard. "Two…" he opened his mouth and a long harmonious note came out. "…Three!" As if by magic, the fragment slipped its way carefully out of the wound.

Lya pressed on the bandages just as a stream of blood rose up and held them down. I couldn't help but notice that Selene's blood had lost almost all its red by now.

"Armani!" Will shouted, startling me out of my observation.

"R-Right," I said, passing him the ambrosia, which he fed to her carefully. He was humming through his nose and somehow causing her to swallow it down without any assistance. He then did the same with the nectar.

"Hold that down for a moment, Lya. The wound should close up before long. I'd best help it along though," he said and then, oddly, began singing a rendition of Everything I do by Bryan Adams. It was quite a surreal thing to see, given the situation.

I'm not sure what he was sensing, but he halted in the middle of the first verse and a small smile spread across his face. He wiped away the sheen of sweat I just noticed had developed on his forehead. "It's okay, Lya, you can take your hands off."

Lya uncertainly lifted the bandages away, and, sure enough, where the gash had been was now a patch of flawless skin.

The son of Apollo smiled in satisfaction. "Some of my best work, if I do say so myself. Not so much as a scar. Not even ambrosia can do that for you. The concussion should have healed by now; she'll be out for a while, though. If you'd left it another couple of minutes she'd probably have died."

"How did you do that? With the shard, I mean?" I asked.

Will shrugged. "I just used the music to create a path for it to follow out. Took a bit to map the wound and lay the way out, but I got the blighter in the end. You can't just close up a wound with something like _that_ embedded in it, you know."

_That's part of the Apollo children's power? It's more impressive than I thought._

"Now then," Will said, sitting down on the other couch again. "Want to tell me where our beautiful stranger came from?"

"I can honestly say I don't care," Mr. D said, walking past us and heading back outside with his magazine just as Chiron burst in.

"What in blazes is going on around here?" he demanded. I couldn't help but notice the centaur had various bits of foliage tangled in his hair and mane.

"It's all right Chiron, everything's under control…at least I think it is," I said, muttering the last part out as I stared at the still form of Selene. Her cheeks were regaining their color as the nectar helped to oxygenate her blood.

"Lya…" Chiron said warningly.

The Nymph gripped my arm. "Sorry, mister Chiron. I've been having a really tough time lately, I won't do it again…" she mumbled, shuffling from foot to foot.

The centaur looked about to continue, but just sighed and shook his head. "Just make sure it doesn't, and be thankful no one was hurt…and what have we here?" he asked, turning his head curiously toward the unconscious girl.

"Who, her? Armani found her in the attic," Will replied.

The centaur turned his attention to me as he approached the girl. "Armani?"

"That's sort of true, but I think she came from somewhere else."

"Who is she?" Will asked.

"She's a daughter of Artemis," I said simply, shrugging.

The gasps of disbelief were predictable. "Are you serious?" Will asked in shock.

I nodded mutely as I stared at her.

"Her bow was just like yours," Lya said, breaking the silence.

"Identical to mine," I corrected.

"She used a bow? Like the way you do, with the glowing and all?" Will asked.

"That's right…" I muttered as I leaned in. I traced a finger down her jaw line, comparing it to my own, while Lya did her best to close up her blouse with the remaining buttons.

"But that's impossible…" Chiron breathed as he leaned in to get a better look, too. "What do you mean when you say she came from somewhere else?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. I saw her in a mirror of Aphrodite in a box. She seemed to be looking in a mirror on the other side. I think she broke it on that end, and… I kind of dropped the mirror on this end. Next thing I know, I'm coming through on the other side of the attic, and she's here."

"A mirror of Aphrodite, you say?" the centaur mused.

I nodded. "She was talking to Aphrodite on the other side, and she said something about the mirror on that side being made by the Fates. The one I had was called-"

"The Mirror of Choices, right?" The centaur interrupted.

I noticed Will glancing back and forth between us. "So… What? I don't get it. Are you saying Artemis had another kid somewhere without anyone knowing?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be dense, William. My mother has only ever had one child, unless of course you're insinuating she gave birth to another one recently and then suddenly made her grow into a young adult within the space of a few weeks."

Will opened his mouth to speak, frowned, and then closed it again. "Good point…And stop calling me William. Wait a moment; you _just_ _said_ she was a child of Artemis!"

_Funny how he didn't object to being called dense._

"I did," I agreed.

"Unless you can't count, that makes _two_ children of Artemis."

"Not necessarily. Mr. D!" I shouted out the doors.

"_What?_" came a disgruntled grunt.

"Can you come back in here for a moment? We need your help!"

There was a series of grumpy curses as Dionysus came trudging back in. "What is it?" he snapped.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Yes, but whether I _will_ is another matter. Would you like to give me a reason why I should?"

I inclined my head. "Because if you do, I'm sure Lya here will forgive you for what you've done to her," I said, extending a hand to the nymph, who had been staring daggers at the god since he'd walked back in. "Right, Lya?" I asked, and she nodded sharply in response.

Mr. D glanced back and forth between us, grinding his teeth. "_Fine_…What do you want?" he practically spat.

I smiled kindly. "Remind me, you're the god of crazy people, correct?"

Dionysus' face turned an angry purple. "Amongst other things…" he said between tightly gritted teeth.

"Excellent! Now can you tell us; is this person here insane?" I said, indicating the unconscious Selene.

The god strode over to her, cursing all the while, and touched a finger to her forehead for a split second before pulling it away. "She's not especially intelligent, but quite sane."

I nodded. "Well, if she wasn't stark raving mad when she told me her name, then that leaves just one thing to check. Mr. D, can you tell me how she was born?"

The god frowned. "Do I look like Artemis to you, boy? I don't do birth."

I groaned. "I _meant_ can you look into her memories and find out? That's all I need to know."

The god rolled his eyes and touched her head again for a split second. "Something to do with a shade and a solar eclipse. I could pull more out, but considering things are still putting themselves back together after the shock to her head I might just wipe her memories all the way back to preschool." Mr. D smirked."Would you like me to try?"

I stared at the girl again as I felt my face pale. "No, thank you, Lord Dionysus, sorry for the imposition," I muttered.

_It can't be…_

"Chiron…I have a nasty feeling I know who she is."

"I know what you're thinking, Armani, and it's impossible. Even hypothetically, she'd have to have been anchored to the mirror somehow on the other side in order to become a physical part of its power when it shattered and be shunted through the only other open entrance linked to it, which would have been that mirror in the attic the instant it broke."

"An anchor?"

"Without one, it would be like pulling in a fish without a hook on the line. It would simply slip off. She would have to have been physically linked to the shattered mirror."

My eyes were drawn to the bloodied shard on the table.

_Ah…_

I picked it up and showed it to Chiron. "Would this have done?"

He frowned. "What's this?"

I handed the fragment to him. "A mirror shard. It was embedded in her chest, we just pulled it out. I can only assume that when the mirror shattered it released quite a bit of force, and that was jammed into her as a result."

Chiron shook his head. "It's still a long shot; I mean, she could still have been any-"

"Selene Dove," I interrupted.

Chiron paused. "I'm sorry?"

"That's her name; at least that's what she says."

Will was glancing back and forth between us. "Umm, I'm not following any of this, but did you just say _Dove_? So, what, is she actually related to you or something?"

I shook my head and turned to look down at the girl. "No, William, I'm not saying she's _related _to me, I think she _is_ me."

Will just stared at me in silence for a long moment. "…Come again?"

"I _think_ she's me. Or at least _a _me."

Will quirked up a confused eyebrow. "Armani… I know people make fun of you for being kind of girly, but she isn't just girly, she's like… _all_ girl," he said, cocking his head at the prone figure.

"She must have been touching the mirror, or at least part of her was, the entire time you were holding the one in the attic." Chiron butted in.

I nodded. "She was backed up against it the whole time; even when she was facing it, her foot could've been in contact."

"It's infinitely improbable, but if you were thinking about the possibility of one another at the same time then you would have been visible to one another through the two mirrors."

"Then she broke it…" I mumbled.

Chiron nodded. "The shard was embedded in her. You broke the mirror afterwards and the image captured was inverted and spat out the other side."

"Which _would _have been nothing at all…" I added.

"Except _she_ was captured along with that image," Chiron finished.

I saw Will shake his head out of my peripheral vision. "Will you tell me what you're talking about?"

I sighed. "I think_,_ William, that I may _possibly_ have…well, ripped the universe a new one."

The son of Apollo cocked his head. "Unfortunately, that's not the dumbest thing you've ever done…And stop calling me _William! _Hang on, are you saying that she's _you_?"

I took a calming breath. "That's right, William…"

"No, like, not you, but a _girl_ you?"

_He catches on eventually…_

"Another possible me. The most fundamental choice in a person's creation, where the tiniest influence can push it one way or the other…the person's gender." I frowned as I stared at her. "Although in my… _our_…case, it was probably more an issue of ol' Midas holding me in Artemis plus or minus a second longer, or something along those lines."

Will shook his head. "Wa-wait just a moment, isn't this all a lot to jump to just on conjecture?"

I nodded. "It's twisted logic, I'm afraid. She's definitely a child of Artemis, that much I can say just from fighting her, and there's no way another was born in this world but me. The only other option is the mirror and that she came from another world entirely…Lya, what are you doing?" I sighed as I noticed Lya leaning in seriously close to the girl.

"She smells like you," the Nymph commented, sniffing the girl's face and neck. "That and lavender. Yeah, like you and lavender."

"Thank you for that contribution."

"You're welcome!"

"So what do we do with Celine here?" Will asked.

"_Selene_ Will, _Suh-Lay-Nay_, as in one of the ancient names once associated with Artemis, and to answer your question…I haven't got a clue. Chiron?"

The centaur just shook his head. "Nothing like this has ever happened before; I suppose all we can do is wait for her to wake up."

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled," Will muttered. "And what in the heck were you two doing up there, anyway?"

"She was dazed and confused; I doubt she could even see straight. So she did what came naturally. With no rational thought to override it, her instincts took over, and her subconscious categorized me as a threat and attacked."

Will's jaw dropped slightly. "How could she possibly have _fought_ in that condition?"

"She was pretty much on auto-pilot the whole time. Her body ignored her injuries and it fought until it was physically unable to remain conscious. She turned her attention to Lya when she became the biggest threat. Luckily she ran out of gas at that point, though." A humorless smile peaked on my lips. "Dangerous things, survival instincts."

"So you're sure about it, then?" Will asked.

I watched as her brow twitched and she rolled onto her back. I suppressed a smile as an idea came to me. "Well, there's one way to make sure; her right earlobe."

Will frowned. "Say what?"

I nodded at the girl. "Rub her right earlobe. If she is indeed me, then that'll prove it."

Will looked at me suspiciously and edged over to Selene. He reached down, pausing near her ear, and glanced at me questioningly.

I nodded for him to proceed.

He slowly reached down and his thumb and forefinger brushed gently on her earlobe.

My suspicions were confirmed.

Unfortunately, Will didn't have the speed to dodge as Selene's fist shot up reflexively, caught him square between the eyes, and sent him crashing back into the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"Well, I'll be darned. Apollo wasn't lying after all, I actually _do _do that," I mused.

"Who in Hades develops a reflex like that?" Will snapped as he pulled himself painfully to his feet, nursing his face.

"Me, it would seem. Sorry, William, but this was the first chance I've ever had to test it out."

"You're _welcome,_ Armani! I'm so glad I could help!" he shouted, wincing as he rubbed the spot where he would soon be sporting a nasty bruise.

"Regardless…Lya, help me to get her into bed. I think it best she's somewhere comfortable when she wakes up. I know _I_ can be really grouchy in the morning," I said as I hoisted her up and Lya grabbed her legs.

"But she's a girl. I bet she's really calm in the morning," she said.

"A girl _me,_ Lya. At best that'll only make her _half_ as grouchy, and I'm taking no chances."

-A-

After we deposited Selene in one of the Big House's many spare rooms, we took turns observing her. I had a feeling it wouldn't take that long for her to come around.

I picked my shift for one particular reason, the same reason I had chosen this room in particular. I had slept here one rainy night when I first came to camp.

And, so when I entered to find Will perusing an outdated gossip magazine that he must've pulled out of one of the drawers, Selene was bathed in a shaft of moonlight coming in through the window.

I glanced up out of the window and a shiver of excitement ran through me that I couldn't contain.

_Full moon…it would be, wouldn't it…_

"My turn, Will, why don't you go grab some sleep?"

Will nodded and stood up, stretching his back in the process. "What about you? You've had a long day yourself."

I walked over to the window and let myself be bathed in the warm light. "I'm fine; Lya's the one who exerted herself, and she's already back in the forest now."

William bid me goodnight and left, leaving me alone with the girl. The only sound was the ticking of an old-fashioned clock on the wall.

I waited for the sounds of Will's feet to subside before turning around. "Just how long are you going to lie there pretending to sleep?" I asked, folding my arms.

Selene remained silent.

I sighed drearily and turned back to the moon. "Despite the half-blood genetic disposition towards hyperactivity, we children of Artemis are a patient breed. We can sit observing our prey for hours, resisting the urge to attack or even to move. The question is, who's more patient, you or me?"

I smiled as my peripheral vision caught a glint of silver from her eye as it opened and focused in on me. I saw her iris contract and was oddly reminded of a crosshair locking in on a target.

She remained silent for a moment, watching me, before speaking. "Just who in the hell are you?"

An amused smile spread across my face. "Don't you remember? You spent a great deal of energy trying to kill me earlier, Selene."

I saw her brow clench and could tell she was trying to call up the memory. "There was…an attic," she said after a moment, rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly her eyes went wide. "Where's Aphrodite? What happened?"

I took a step back and dropped down into the chair Will had been sitting in. "You broke Aphrodite's mirror and it transported you here. The explosion must have given you a concussion. You had a shard of the mirror buried in your chest, but William Solace managed to remove it and heal you"

Her brow furrowed. "Will…Solace? The son of Apollo?"

I inclined my head. "So I'm in Camp Half-blood. You didn't answer my question, though. Who are you?"

_Careful…_

"My name is Armani Dove. I'm the one you attacked when you first arrived."

By the look on her face I could tell she was trying to remember. "Oh, sorry about-" Suddenly her eyes went wide again and she sat bolt upright and glared at me. "_You!_ You made up some cock-and-bull story about being a son of Artemis! And about having the same name as me!"

"I _am_ a son of Artemis. I'm the only child Artemis ever had."

"Say _what_?" she asked, utter bewilderment and confusion flashing across her face.

"In the same way you are the only child Artemis ever had in the world that you came from."

"But that's…_What?_" she gaped incredulously and I groaned in frustration. "Don't groan at me!" she snapped angrily.

I waved my hand in the air. "You broke a mirror in your world. I broke a smaller mirror in this world. You had a piece of your mirror embedded in you, and it pulled you through here. Bad-da-bing, ba-da-boom, here you are. And if you say _what_ again, I swear I'm going to hit you."

She just swayed, as if in a daze. Suddenly she turned her eyes back to me. "Prove it," she said simply.

_Fair enough._

I called my bow, illuminating the room with a silver flash in the process. The weapon glowed brilliantly in the moonlight that flooded in through the window.

Her jaw dropped as she stared at it. "So you _did_ have that before…" she breathed.

"What does your gut tell you?" I asked suddenly.

She glanced from the bow back to me. "What?"

"Your instinct. That annoying nagging voice in the back of your head that delights in telling you what to do. What's it saying now?"

She stared at me in silence for a moment; I had obviously struck more than a few chords. "But that's impossible…It's _ridiculous._"

I laughed a humorous laugh. "Welcome to my world…In more ways than one."

She stared at me again, and as her body glowed a radiant silver I realized just what her instinct had told her to do.

In a blur of white, she tore the sheet off the bed and hurled it over me. I didn't see her leap out of the bed, but I caught her silhouette through the material as she shoved me to the floor.

There was a sound of a window opening, and by the time I had torn free she was long gone.

"Don't tell me…" I sighed, shaking my head at the window, realizing she had reverted to her first instinct.

_She ran._

-A-

"Come back here!" I shouted after her as she bolted across the field towards the camp.

"And why would I want to do that?" she snapped, not slowing. She may not have been in the forest, but because of the full moon it didn't make much of a difference.

"Running makes no sense!" I shouted as I hopped down a shallow embankment.

She laughed incredulously. "_No sense_? Says the boy who claims I'm in another universe. And come to think of it, didn't you say something about being married to a _nymph_? And you call _me_ nonsensical?"

_She makes a valid point, you know…_

"And just where do you think you're going to run to?"

"Like I'd tell you!"

"You haven't even figured it out yet, have you?"

She hesitated before answering. "Shut up!"

I had to slow her down. It seemed that while I had a slight strength advantage in battle, she had one over me in agility.

I called my bow again and nocked an arrow. "I said STOP!" I bellowed. She must've sensed what I'd done, as she skidded to a halt and swung about, summoning her own bow and nocking an arrow in the process.

She glared at me angrily as we stared one another down. "Your move then…Armani, was it?" she asked with a condescending smile.

_Stalemate._

It was true; our attacks would simply cancel each other out, but that meant at least she'd have to stay in one place in order to keep the balance. "Let's just talk about this!"

"Hmm…nope, I'm thinking either run or beat you to a bloody pulp."

"You know as well as I that we're perfectly matched."

"YOU ARE NOT A CHILD OF ARTEMIS!" she practically screamed, clenching her eyes closed. Her arrow loosed.

It wasn't even properly aimed because of her outburst, and I shot it down effortlessly. But it was as the arrows struck one another that the reason for the way she was acting became clear to me.

"You don't think I'm lying, do you?" I said quietly, lowering my weapon.

The way her hand clenched on her bow was all the confirmation I needed. "What are you talking about?"

"If you thought I was lying, you'd stand and fight. But your instinct is revealing that I _might_ just be telling the truth, and so it's telling you to run." My eyes narrowed curiously. "Are you that afraid of me?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "You're insinuating that I'm _scared_ of you?" she asked, lowering her bow and resting a hand on her hip.

"Am I wrong?"

"Pfft," she spat, turning away.

"Avoiding the question as opposed to lying; well, that's very me…" She shot me a dark glare in response.

"Why should I just take your word for it?" she demanded.

_Gods, am I really this stubborn or is it just a girl thing?_

"Will _my _word suffice?" a voice suddenly said from our left. We both glanced over in unison to find Chiron standing a short distance away. "My, my, you two are making quite the racket out here…"

"Chiron…" Selene breathed, "Tell me this gawking idiot is just some figment of my messed-up imagination," she begged, pointing a finger at me.

_Gawking idiot?_

"Selene, was it?" he asked with a smile, but Selene's jaw dropped at the fact he even had to ask.

"That's her name, Chiron."

The centaur walked slowly between us. "Unfortunately, my dear, from what we can gather, I can only assume whatever it is he told you is true."

"You mean this is-"

"This is not your world, Selene. I'm not your Chiron. This is not your Camp Half-Blood, and _this…_" he said, extending a hand towards me, "is the version of you that exists in this world."

"I'm guessing this is not good…" she breathed after a moment, staring blankly ahead.

Chiron shrugged. "I'm afraid this is quite an unprecedented situation. I'll have to do some research and ask for some advice, but until then I'm afraid you're stuck here for the time being."

"For the time being?"

The centaur shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I really can't be accurate. We could get you back tomorrow, or…"

"Or I might be stranded in this world forever," she finished.

"I won't lie to you. That could be a possibility, Selene."

I watched as she took a calming breath. "Understood."

An uncomfortable silence descended between the three of us, which the centaur thankfully broke. "You've had a very traumatic day, Selene. I think it best you get some rest, and we can continue this in the morning."

She nodded mutely, then turned to walk towards the camp. She stopped after a few steps, and I knew why she was hesitating.

"Your world or not, cabin eight is always open to you," I said. She nodded once without turning around, and walked off silently towards the rows of cabins.

"That was kind of you," Chiron said as I began to walk past him.

"Yeah…it's a shame, really," I sighed. "…I just got the girl-smell out of the place."

_To be continued..._

-XA-

[A/N] And that's that for this reinstallment, I'll see you all again soon.

To be continued in Chapter 3: Fracture


	3. Chapter 3: Fracture

[A/N] Welcome to the latest beta'd version of this little oddity, I'm glad you've chosen to stick with me this far. Let's carry right on shall we?

Perspective rules are as follows:

-A- Armani's perspective

-S- Selene's perspective

-?- Third person

**Counterpart**

**Chapter 3: Fracture**

She was in my bed.

But, since she'd just been catapulted into another universe with no way to get home, I supposed I could permit the imposition and relegate myself to the adjoining Hunter's bunk.

Selene had already collapsed in bed when I had returned to cabin eight. Not even bothering to change or climb under the covers, she had simply slumped forward onto the pillow and gone to sleep.

I regarded her properly for the first time and realized just how much she looked like my mother. That is, the mid-teens form she had taken for that brief moment after the fight with Orion. Her hair was different, though; where I had short bangs, hers had grown down to her shoulder blades and sort of blended down into the large braid, which reached to the small of her back. It was an interesting blend of the elegant and the wild.

_A metaphor?_

I suppose it was…

-S-

Gods, I hate mornings…

This morning especially. The restless night's sleep I'd gotten wasn't helping. But then, it's difficult to turn in when the fact that your entire _world_ is gone is weighing on your mind.

I shuffled uncomfortably. I'd probably have slept better if I'd bothered to change for bed, or even climbed in. But to be honest, I'd had neither the strength nor the inclination to do so.

I rolled from one side and onto the other, and then froze.

A pair of wide, hazel-colored eyes was staring back at me from about an inch away.

"Huh?" a small voice squeaked, and the eyes blinked curiously.

I let out a cry of shock-time delayed, yes, but what do you want, it was morning-and the form shrieked in kind. As I leapt out of bed, the form rolled off in a heap and went crashing to the floor. "W-what in Hades do you think you're doing?" I demanded, stabbing a finger at what looked like a large ball of fur.

Said fur ball eventually untangled itself into the form of a small girl with bizarrely long brown hair, who was rubbing the back of her head. I suddenly caught a pair of pointed ears as she shook her head.

_A nymph? THAT nymph?_

The annoying nymph girl pouted and was about to speak when an exasperated voice spoke up from somewhere behind her.

"Lya, what are you _doing_?"

The nymph girl frowned and swung about, glanced back at me in bewilderment and turned again. She clamped her hands on her hips and looked down at whatever was in front of her. "That's just mean! How was I supposed to know you changed beds?"

I took a guarded step back as the boy from the previous night sat up, stretching his arms."Firstly, that's what you get for climbing into someone's bed in the morning without their permission. Secondly, you could've just spared a second glance at the occupant. And on that note, why exactly were you trying to climb into bed with me?"

"I just wanted to say good morning," the nymph replied in a sweetly innocent tone.

The boy inclined his head. "Good morning, Lya."

The annoying midget giggled in response and bolted from the cabin.

_Strange…_

"What's her problem?" I felt I had to ask.

He glanced at me. "You'll have to forgive Lya; turns out that as far as dryads go she's barely into adolescence. She's effectively got the mentality of a twelve-year-old, and an immature one at that." He cocked his head thoughtfully. "Makes me wonder why they're allowed to marry off so soon. She's barely a hundred years old-that's not much in spruce years, you know."

I shook my head to clear the cobwebs. "Okay, out of sheer grade-one Machiavellian curiosity, just what in the heck am I doing married to a _nymph_ in an alternate universe?"

The boy raised his eyebrow in an infuriatingly inquisitive manner. "So you believe me, then?"

A stab of sorrow went through me and I took my gaze away from his. "It would seem I have no choice."

The boy sighed. "Selene, wasn't it?"

I nodded. "Emphasis on the second e," I muttered reflexively before I'd even realized he'd pronounced it right the first time. I only then remembered that I had told him my name once before.

_What was his again? Began with an A…_

"Armani," he suddenly said.

I blinked. "Say what?"

A small smile twitched on his lips. "You were trying to remember my name; it's Armani."

"Armani Dove…" I said quietly, tasting the name like some strange cuisine.

"Here," he suddenly said, snapping me out of my revere. I watched as he leaned down over the left side of the bunk he was sitting on and retrieved a familiar object. "Yours, I believe," he said, and tossed my sword deftly through the air to me.

One would normally panic at having a sharp blade thrown at them, but strangely I didn't even flinch as the blade curved round once in the air, before I grasped the hilt with one movement of my hand.

_Like tossing it from one of my own hands to the other…_

"It's different from mine," Armani suddenly said in a thoughtful tone.

"What is?" I asked, staring my reflection in the shining bronze.

"Your sword. I've never owned such a weapon."

I suddenly felt irritated. "Well I'm not _you,_ am I?"

"It would seem not. There are indeed some differences between us."

_Why, isn't he an observant chap?_

"That was an interesting flash of sarcasm in your eyes. But regardless, I find it interesting that you actually chose to go with him."

I frowned. "With who?"

He nodded at my sword. "You went with Apollo to Japan, didn't you?"

I remembered back to when I was thirteen and Mr. Sunny Disposition himself convinced me that a visit to see the Shinto shrine maidens of Japan might be informative. "Yeah, what of it, didn't you?"

The boy's brow creased as he remembered. "As I recall, I informed His Royal Rhyminess that I had better things to do than trail after him while he hung around seducing waitresses in maid cafes and flirting with shrine maidens. I used the opportunity to sharpen my skills and hunt. How about you?"

_Fascinating. _

"Me? I escaped Uncle's clutches whilst he went on tour and spent six months learning Kendo and some other traditional sword arts at a girl's training camp. Longest I'd ever gotten away from him in my life!"

Interestingly, and annoyingly, the boy laughed. "You really believe that?"

_Stay calm…_

"Meaning what?"

He smiled in that annoyingly calm way. "That you really got away from Apollo? _Please_. You know as well as I do that he'd most likely tracked you down the day after you escaped."

I barely suppressed the storm of anger rising at how presumptuous this boy was.

_Or is it just how right he is?_

I gave my instinct a mental backhand and glared at the boy, who was now just staring at the wooden ceiling. "Then why is it that after I ran and was caught by a Yakuza gang, I spent a week in captivity with them? It took everything I had to keep their hands off of me until I finally escaped. If Apollo knew where I was, why didn't he help me then? I was half-dead by the time I reached the camp!"

The boy cocked his head, still observing the roof. "Oh, that's obvious. Two reasons: one, he knew you'd be fine, and two, Apollo, despite his attitude, has little time nor pity for fools, especially ones who bring things upon themselves."

_Snap!_

Before I even knew what I was doing, I had leapt up and over the distance between us and pinned him down, clamping a hand around his throat. "Just who in _Hades_ are you calling a fool?" I hissed dangerously. But, like an unthreatened predator, his eyes just stared calmly back into mine.

"A thirteen-year-old girl, who couldn't even fully use her powers without shortening her lifespan, ran away in a foreign country simply because she was irritated with her tour guide. What did you _think_ would happen? Did you perhaps think you'd happen across a scarecrow, a tin man and cowardly lion and they'd help you along your way, perhaps?" The boy suddenly frowned and glanced off to the side. "No…That analogy doesn't work very well, given the Japanese context. Give me a moment and I'll think up a good one."

I clenched his throat angrily, mainly out of frustration over the fact that he was right. I'd pretty much come to the same conclusion as him already.

Suddenly his eyebrows went up. "_Wait_! I've got it...What? Did you think you'd happen across a chained-up monkey demon who-"

"_Shut up_!" I snapped in exasperation. "Gods, are you always like this?"

"Sorry…"

"And how is _Journey to the West_ a better analogy than _Wizard of Oz_?"

"At least it's oriental," he muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Gods, you're infuriating!"

"I'm you," he said, shrugging again.

"You are NOT me!" I found myself roaring into his face. And as hard as I tried to close my fist and crush the life out of the person who I felt had stolen my existence, I couldn't get past that damn look; the look that lay veiled behind the condescending smile; beyond the prattling sarcasm and out-of-place remarks. It was that _damned_ look of compassion, buried deep in his eyes…Mother's eyes…_My_ eyes. "Stop feeling sorry for me," I whispered tensely after a moment.

"Sorry, I'm afraid that's one thing I just can't do," he responded levelly, the pressure around his throat only now starting to croak his voice.

_It's not his fault, you know…_

"Damn it…" I cursed in a horse whisper, "Damn it, damn it, _DAMN IT!_" I shouted shaking my head angrily.

"Problem?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought I was done with all this," I muttered, rubbing my forehead.

"Done with what?" he asked in that soft tone. And I'm not sure what it was. It could've been the eerily familiar soothing tone of his voice, the way he seemed unfazed by me, or it could've been the way his hand came up and rested gently on my wrist. I'm not sure why, but my strong front utterly shattered in that one instant.

"Being alone!" I snapped, my voice breaking.

His only reaction was a momentary widening of his eyes in comprehension. He didn't say another word as he brought his arms up, wrapped them around me, and held me to him.

The scent of nature clinging to him and the wordless compassion he exuded broke through the fact that a strange boy was touching me. In that brief moment of vulnerability, I allowed the weight of my situation to come crashing down on me and broke down right then and there in the arms of my other self.

-A-

_What is it about me and making girls cry?_

There were a million questions I wanted to ask, but this wasn't one of those talking times. I was also forced to ignore the fact that whilst she had given up on attempting to crush my windpipe, she was now digging into my upper chest with her fingernails as she gripped the front of my nightshirt while she cried. This was painful.

I'm not sure how long she cried, but it must've been quite some time as the sun was shining through the gaps in the curtains by the time her sobs subsided.

"Don't touch me…" she whispered after a while.

I peeled my arms from her, not commenting on the fact that I had been touching her for quite some time now, but she made no attempt to move, just lay with her face sideways on my shirt.

"I'm probably never getting home, am I?"

As usual, I didn't lie. "I don't know…There's a chance, at least. I wasn't aware I was such a pessimist in an alternate world."

"Are you saying you're any different?" she mumbled.

"Of course. I'm merely a realist. Unfortunately, I live in an extremely _surreal_ world. So it just tends to come across as pessimism."

I breathed a sigh; taking her mind off things was the best I could do right now. I knew well what she meant by being alone. We both might have disliked being in large numbers, but I know for a fact that the thought of going back to my former totally isolated existence raised a stab of pain in me. And if I were faced with everything I had gained being suddenly torn away from me, I probably wouldn't have reacted much better. Of course, I wouldn't have cried…

All right, I might have just a little.

I decided a change of subject was in order. "Might I ask you to get off me? We're in somewhat of a compromising position. Someone bursting in and catching you lying on top of me might take it the wrong way."

She frowned, "What way could they take it?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, but I've observed people seem to look on with embarrassment when they encounter two people physically close like this. I guess it's one of those things I just don't get yet."

She frowned and sat up onto her knees. A look of distaste flashed across her face. "Are you implying people may have mistaken the situation for one of us being engaged in some act of physical intimacy?"

"I don't know…Maybe."

"Even though, in a strictly genetic sense, you're technically my identical twin brother?"

"You can never be too careful, especially around those involved with Olympians. Just look at Zeus; the fact that Hera was his sister never stopped him _marrying_ her."

Selene nodded thoughtfully. "And raising an extremely dysfunctional family as a result."

I cocked an eyebrow. "You think there's a correlation?"

She inclined her head. "_Possibly._"

_You're going off on a tangent again…_

I was dimly aware of thunder rumbling violently in the distance, so I dismissed the subject. "Might I ask you something?"

Selene sighed as she stretched and walked over to peek out the curtains. "I sense you'll ask even if I forbid it, so go ahead."

I sat up, folded my legs, and watched her observe whatever was outside. "You were demanding Aphrodite _release_ the Hunters from something. And I heard something about you putting the power of love in them. Or words to that effect, anyways. What exactly was going on in your world?"

She twirled her braid behind her back in thought, but didn't turn around. "Why? Shouldn't you know what happened? If this _is_ an identical world, that is."

I shook my head. "Sorry, nothing like that ever happened here."

She turned about and stared at me. "You mean that's different, too?"

I nodded in response and she went silent, her eyes flicking about slightly. I could tell she was reviewing memories in her head.

Suddenly something in the corner of the room caught her eye. "But isn't that…" she trailed off as she approached the corner and grasped the Stygian iron spear I had propped up there.

"That belonged to the shade of Orion," I said.

She nodded, turning it over in her hands. "I know. I took this back with me, too."

"So the whole shade thing happened in your world, too?"

"Yeah, but that's impossible. The cause of the whole thing I was dealing with happened during that incident…"

I narrowed my eyes curiously. "Meaning?"

She glanced over at me. "Did you stop at a motel at one point?"

"We found the huntress Aren near death in the desert, we needed a place to let her rest up," I said, the pondering expression on my face matching hers.

"And while you were there, did anything happen?"

I immediately caught on. "Aphrodite…"

"So it happened to you, too? She hit you with her power and mother saved you, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, seems that happened to us both... Hang on; are you saying Aphrodite kissed you?"

Selene suddenly looked at me as if I had grown an extra head. "No! She just touched me on the forehead. Are you saying she-"

I inclined my head, shuddering at the memory.

She shook her head in confusion. "But that makes no sense! After that incident, the remaining power in me flooded into every Hunter I came into contact with up until Nico and I…That is, up until Aphrodite told me how to remove the power." She blushed and continued. "The Hunters began to be overcome by that same power, falling in love on sight. Are you saying that never happened to you?"

_So that's why she was after Aphrodite…_

I shook my head. "As far as I know, all the Hunters here are as asexual as ever." I then lowered my voice to a mutter "with one exception, perhaps…"

"But that makes no sense!"

_Compatible Hunter_

Those two words Aphrodite had spoke suddenly echoed through my mind, and it hit me. "It was passed into every _compatible _Hunter…" I said as realization dawned.

"Excuse me?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Think about it. Aphrodite said the power was passed from you into every _compatible _Hunter you encountered."

Being me, she was quick to catch on. "You're the only male Hunter in existence…"

I nodded. "The power was there when I rescued the other Hunters, but nothing happened because none of them were male. They weren't compatible with the kind of energy that was in me. Of course, it disappeared when Aphrodite told me how to break the spell…Shame she never told me the damned feelings would remain, though!"

"No shortage of female Hunters, though…" she lamented.

"Unfortunately not. Although I now see why you broke that mirror; it contained all the impacts in relation to love you had made in your world. By breaking it you shattered the impact you had on the Hunters, too, and effectively undid the entire thing."

She nodded. "I suppose that's one consolation…" she mumbled, leaning back and playing with her braid again.

"You saved the Hunters from themselves. At least you have that to be thankful for. I would've done the same, for what it's worth." Suddenly something occurred to me that I couldn't help but ask. "Hang on a tic. You said that the power passed from you into every female hunter you came into contact with until the spell was broken, yeah?"

She narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously. "Yeah?"

"Meaning that as soon as you encountered a Hunter, they became susceptible to falling in love with the first guy who caught their eye, correct?"

She nodded. "True, where are you going with this?"

Despite Selene's situation, I couldn't stop an amused grin from spreading across my face.

"Something funny?" she demanded.

I shook my head. "No, no. It's just that, when you freed the Hunters from Alcatraz- that did happen in your world, right?" Selene nodded and I continued, "As I recall, in order to get into the cell block holding the Hunters, I needed Nico's help."

"_Same_…Are you going somewhere with this?"

I couldn't stop myself from cracking up into a fit of laughter.

"What the hell is your problem?"

I wiped a tear from my eye. "Sorry. It's just that, if what you're saying is true, then all the Hunters of Artemis-"

"Don't say it…Please, It's too horrible to even remember," she interrupted, holding her head in her hands.

"-Are in love with Nico Di Angelo!" I finished (I'm not that compassionate) and continued laughing my behind off at the prospect.

"It's not funny!" she snapped indignantly. I couldn't help but notice a fierce blush on her cheeks.

"So what did he do?" I asked after regaining myself.

"Who?" Selene asked, glowering at me.

"Nico. How did he choose? Suddenly falling in love with dozens of girls at the same time must've made his head spin."

"He's not like that!" Selene suddenly objected defensively…a little _too_ defensively.

I raised an eyebrow curiously. "_Oh_? How so?"

She suddenly seemed to find the wood grain on the floor extremely interesting. "The power didn't work like that on him…" she muttered quietly.

I saw where she was going. "Because he was already affected by it…"I paused for confirmation. Selene said nothing. Then, after a long pause, she nodded. "…With you?" This time her head merely tilted down once in response. I felt it would be pushing it too far if I made fun at this point, so I didn't. "You're in love with him?"

"I am not!" she rebutted quickly. "Aphrodite told us how to remove the spell between us and it was done!"

"_Except_…" I interrupted, "It didn't remove the feelings it had created. The power had shown you things that existed in the other that you couldn't see before. It opened you to one another. You can't help but remember the way it showed you the best and worst in him in that one second you locked eyes."

"You think I don't know that?" she suddenly shouted. I couldn't help but notice her eyes looking moist now.

Suddenly those silver orbs widened in realization and they narrowed at me suspiciously. I noticed a predatory smirk peak at the corner of her lips and was suddenly reminded of a wolf spying an unassuming rabbit.

_Change the subject! Change the subject before she-_

"Who did _you_ look at?"

_-Turns it around on you… Damn._

A face flashed unbidden through my mind. I felt my heart speed up in my chest. "Is it relevant?"

I knew she wouldn't dismiss it. "Oh come on! You just grilled me on it. It's only polite I reciprocate."

She made a good point (I would expect no less from me). "It was…Well, you see…" I trailed off, muttering under my breath...

"Gods- it was _mom_, wasn't it!"

"_Selene!_"

She held her hands up defensively. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Jeez. My life may be one big Greek tragedy, but thankfully it's not _that_ Greek tragedy."

"Okay then. So spill. As I remember there were only two other campers there."

I shook my head. "It wasn't either of them," I said, not meeting her eyes.

I saw her puzzled look out my peripherals. "But the only other person was a-" she froze with her mouth open, and a wide grin spread across her features.

_Boy, did I bring this on myself._

"Oh, that is _rich_! I might have lost it for a half-blood, but _you're_ in love with a Hunter of Artemis! What was her name again? Little blonde tomboy…"

"Aren," I said, inclining my head.

"_Aren_…" She repeated with a smirk. "Aww, that means you gave the little Hunter her first kiss, doesn't it?"

I shot her a dark glare.

"You started it, Armani. You should learn what happens when you mess with a lady's heart."

"Well there you have it. Aren; the annoying blonde one that I can't get out of my head morning, noon or night. There, _satisfied_?"

She shrugged, "I suppose I am."

Suddenly something more important came to mind, and only one logical reason explained it. "So even my female self didn't join the Hunters."

Selene cocked her head. "Oh? What makes you think that? Perhaps I did."

I shook my head. "Impossible. You would've had to have been at Camp Half-Blood for the whole shade incident to come about. Nico would have had to have gotten to know you and felt betrayed when he discovered who you were. How did you deal with his zombies, by the way?"

She frowned. "What zombies?"

"You know; when he found out who you were and later took out his aggression by attacking you with a hoard of his little minions."

Selene hummed in thought. "Hmm…nope, that's not what happened to me. I went to try and apologize to him after I felt him watching me for some days. When I _did_ try and talk to him and offer him some comfort he just shook his head, expressed how I betrayed him and ran off into the forest."

I suddenly felt irritated for some reason. "What? No undead? No hit in the face with Stygian iron?"

Selene shook her head. "No. He was just…s_ad_. But no zombies or anything."

_Nico, you chauvinistic little…_

"So he ran off and told Hades?" I asked, pushing my irritation aside.

She shook her head. "Nope, in my dream I saw how he went and confided in Persephone. _She_ then told Hades. Nico found out that same night and returned to camp."

I nodded; from there on things probably went as they did here. "But that doesn't answer the question I have."

"Which is?"

"Why didn't you join the Hunters of Artemis when mother claimed you?"

She waved a hand dismissively. "Firstly, I couldn't. Something to do with favoritism going too far." I inclined my head acceptingly."Secondly, I think you know as well as I do that I'd have rejected the offer if it was made."

"Oh? I know why _I_ would've rejected it. But why would you have?"

She scoffed at the question. "You know very well that there are two things in this world neither of us can stand: groups and _groupies_. Unfortunately the Hunters of Artemis fall neatly into both categories."

I chuckled. "The Groupies of Artemis, huh? I suppose I'd never thought of it that way."

"Okay, now you answer my question: what _is_ up with the nymph?"

My eyes rolled full circle. "I'm afraid it's a long cautionary tale about watching where you sleep and not letting people braid your hair."

"Braiding… your hair?" she asked. Without looking at her, I flicked the two braids dangling just to the right of my face.

"What?" I asked. "Never slept in a nymph's tree before?"

She frowned. "Loads of times, and my hair remains unmolested."

"_Huh_…And I thought love knew no boundaries. I guess gender is exempt from that saying."

She raised an eyebrow. "So is species, usually."

I smiled reluctantly. "Good point. Now, if you'll excuse me, all that ruckus yesterday has left me in dire need of a shower," I said, standing up.

A look of worry swept over her. "What about me?"

I glanced back over my shoulder. "What? You want to shower together?"

"Don't be pedantic! You know what I mean."

I smirked. "Just tell them the truth."

"The truth?" she echoed in disbelief.

I shrugged. "That you're a Hunter of Artemis, separated from the rest for an indeterminate amount of time."

"A lie?"

"An omission," I replied with a smile. And without another word I grabbed a towel and was gone.

-S-

I sat in silence for a moment, then, after repressing a shudder when I caught my disheveled appearance in a mirror, decided my male self was right. I scrounged some bathing implements from the cupboards.

I paused and stared in disdain at the wardrobe full of various Hunter's uniforms.

_It's either this or have people staring constantly at you like some freak of nature…_

I suppressed another shudder as I grabbed a set that was near my size, then left to freshen myself up for the day.

-A-

I almost didn't recognize my alternate self when I saw her next.

I found Selene sitting on a wooden bench, brushing her still-wet hair. She was dressed like a Hunter, and for a second I almost took her for my mother. As if to add to her altered appearance, she had undone her braid, her long auburn hair cascading freely down her back.

"If you say it suits me, I swear I'm going to kick you somewhere sensitive," she said, not looking up as I approached while she battled against a tangle in her hair. "Damn it…" she cursed again.

I sighed, walked over and stopped behind her back. I rested one hand on her brush and began freeing her knotted hair with the other. She tensed for a second, then grumbled dejectedly to herself, dropping her hands to her lap to let me assist.

"I was _going_ to say that you're going to miss breakfast if you don't hurry up," I muttered as I did my best to undo the area of matted hair. "This is what you get for letting your hair grow out of control."

"Who are you to tell a lady how to keep her hair?"

"Someone with the same split end problems as you. by the looks of it. Seriously, have you never heard of conditioner?" I said, handing the brush back to her. She snatched it angrily and continued brushing.

"Next you'll be commenting on my waistline and the calories in my breakfast. Gods, you're such a girl!"

I clenched my teeth in frustration. "No, I'm guessing my female self is just a first-grade tomboy. Now, are you coming to breakfast, or should I just leave you here to wallow in self-pity?" True, I was being harsh and probably should've been more sympathetic, but I felt that since I was dealing with _me_ it might take a slightly untactful hand to get things done.

-A-

Selene had grudgingly followed me, after a moment's hesitation and angry glaring.

She caught up with a shove of her right shoulder. "I know what you're doing," she said, falling into step ahead of me.

"Hmm? And what exactly might I be doing?"

"Making me angry enough to forget about my situation. I'm warning you…don't. I don't forgive people for taking liberties with my feelings, not even myself."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Make sure you do. I've cut down boys for far less."

"Why, _now_ you're acting like a Hunter."

"May as well act the part. But I wasn't entirely joking."

"I got the feeling you weren't."

I suddenly caught a familiar scent on the downwind from behind and I reflexively rolled my eyes.

_Tuesday morning…Rose perfume, like always._

"Is there something I can do for you, Mila?" I asked, noticing that Selene had paused and was glancing over her shoulder with distaste. Clearly her nose was on par with mine.

The daughter of Aphrodite had paused and was noting down on her clipboard. "Let's see: Late up _and_ having a girl alone in your cabin…How many points must I mark you down for today, Armani?" she asked in that irritatingly patronizing voice.

I didn't dignify her by appearing upset. "You'll find I was late up due to extenuating circumstances from last night. Chiron will vouch for that. And what are you implying about having my friend here in my cabin?"

"You know the rules. No male camper may be alone with a girl in _any_ cabin at camp. Even if the girl _is_ one of your mommy's pet hounds."

Selene didn't respond with words. She simply turned about, took a step forwards and slugged the unsuspecting girl in the face.

There was a cry of shock and my jaw dropped just as Mila dropped like a sack of potatoes.

_Well…that was…abrupt…_

Mila cradled her face as she sobbed on the ground and began screaming out words that I feel I cannot reiterate for politeness' sake.

I turned my stunned gaze to Selene, who was completely detached as the daughter of Aphrodite pulled herself up. Blood was streaming down her face from a possibly broken nose. To be honest, I was probably about as shocked as her.

"Oh!" she gasped indignantly. It was odd, really; she'd spent most of her time with me trying to provoke a fight, and now that Selene had obliged she seemed in no great hurry to take up the offer. She stared at my counterpart in indignant shock, raging fury in her tear-filled eyes. After a second she scrambled on the ground for her clipboard and bolted off, sobbing, towards her cabin.

_That might come up later…_

I felt the situation required addressing."I'm listening…"

Selene raised an eyebrow. "There were several reasons."

"Stress relief?"

"I won't deny that was one of them, nor will I deny I enjoyed that immensely."

"Did you do that to your version of her?"

Selene shook her head. "Nope. Well, I _did_ break her nose, but for a completely different reason. I normally just go with a quiet dismissal and ignore her."

"Then why didn't you do it here?" I asked with disbelief.

"I thought I'd try out the Hiroshima and Nagasaki logic."

"The what?"

"Shorten the war by five years and save millions of lives. This gives me the chance to see what would happen."

"You can't just use my world as a hypothetical testing ground! And don't you have the same instinct as me-to not harm a virtuous maiden?"

Selene scoffed again. "_Please_. I would hardly call her _virtuous_, nor do I sincerely believe that she is a maiden. Actually…well, it _is_ quite possible that she's never been with a man…but still."

I frowned. "Meaning what?"

"You know; Mila's a daughter of Aphrodite, but she's…that wayinclined, if you get my meaning." I merely shook my head in confusion. "_You know…_She's, like, not attracted to your gender."

_Ohhh…I get it._

"She is?" I asked, glancing quickly at the Aphrodite cabin and back, "really?"

Selene nodded. "Yup"

That raised a point, though. "Hang on, just how do you know that?" Selene just raised an eyebrow. "Oh, she _didn't!_" I gasped.

She nodded again. "Whilst we were alone training, she was quite forward. I was forced to take action in the end."

"Action?"

"I'm a non-discriminating sort. So I acted just as I would have if a boy had been so…explicit…when coming on."

"So that's how she-" I waved my hand.

"Let's just say that by the time that incident was resolved, _one_ of us had a broken nose, three shattered ribs and a dislocated shoulder."

"Ouch, she was that rough with you?"

Selene laughed and punched me playfully as she walked off towards the dining area.

-A-

I spent the next two days doing exceptionally menial tasks in reprimand for Selene's actions. Since she's classed as being aligned with cabin eight, even unofficially, I was held responsible for her attack on Mila. It wasn't as bad as I thought, since Mila's words had technically been classed as a challenge, so all she got me on was fighting outside of a designated area.

"Are Hunters immune to Asbestosis, do you think?" Selene asked offhandedly as we scrubbed the dishes in lava, her hair tied back into a long ponytail to prevent it singeing.

"I was just thinking the same. I guess wearing effectively poisonous gloves is one of the deterrents for being relegated to this duty…which_, incidentally_, is why it's not recommended to punch campers out of _mild provocation!"_

Selene sighed. "How many times do I have to apologize for that? Think of it like this; she'll never bug you again."

"_No_, she'll never bug me again as long as _you_ are here. The second you leave, she'll be on me like a wolf!"

"Firstly, don't insult wolves; secondly, you seem to be underestimating the power of an old-fashioned reality check. She'll at least think twice before riling you again."

"Oh? How do you figure that?"

She smirked slightly. "You're forgetting just how animalistic fear can be. Every time she looks into your eyes in future, some part of her, deep inside, will see _me _looking back at her."

"I dunno, if she sees _you_ in me it might just make her want to keep coming back for more…" I teased with a small grin.

"Not smart to annoy a girl holding a lava spray gun, Armani."

I raised my hands. "Now now, don't toast the Hunter. Although I don't see why she's so obsessed with me. Her dislike seems to go way beyond the usual inter-cabin rivalries. It almost seems like-"

"She once tried to join the Hunters," she said suddenly.

The statement was so shocking my spray missed the plates and splattered on the nearby wall, causing it to burst into flames. I immediately grabbed a fire extinguisher to put it out. "Say _what_?" I demanded over the sound of spraying suppressant foam.

Selene didn't turn away from her cleaning. "When she was younger, and the Hunters were at camp without Artemis, she tried to join."

"Yeah?" I asked as I battled the fire. "And how do you know that?"

Selene inclined her head. "She told me…before we had our little falling-out, that is."

"Is that so? So what happened?"

"She…How can I put this delicately… she had the wrong idea about what the Hunters represented at her age."

"I don't follow."

She paused to frown in thought. "Let's just say she didn't grasp the fact that the Hunter's, and indeed Artemis' own, vows of celibacy are _implied_ to cover more than just relationships with boys."

I inclined my head. "I suppose an uneducated mind could make that mistake."

"Hmm…I suppose in a modern world, mother really should update the Hunter's vow to include same-sex relationships, but I guess she just doesn't see how her relationship with the Hunters could be misinterpreted by an uninformed mind."

"I guess she's just old-fashioned that way," I mumbled as I tossed the empty cylinder to the side and began filling out an accident report on the clipboard.

"Isn't she just…" Selene said with a smile, and began working again.

"Just promise me if she tries anything again you won't resort to violence."

"Then how do _you_ suggest I shut her up?"

"Oh, I dunno…You could give her a kiss, I guess."

Two seconds later, I was in dire need of a new fire extinguisher…

-S-

Frustrating.

That's the word I use to describe training against my male self. Our attacks were basically symmetrical, and no matter what I did, he counterattacked on reflex. What made it worse was the fact that he got a single blow in under my guard, which is why I was in my current position; flat on my back and frowning up at the night sky.

"You got overconfident," he said, gasping for breath from his position sitting on the arena stand.

The damned annoying thing was he was right. I had been pushing him back into a corner; his sword skills were impressive, but when I switched styles I had gotten the upper hand. He still guarded on reflex, but that didn't dismiss the fact that I was forcing him back.

The sensation of overwhelming him, proving myself the greater one, was so great that I had made a critical error:

I had backed him into a corner.

I should've known he'd be at his most dangerous when in such a position, and didn't expect him to drop all pretence of a composed combatant and simply kick me square in the chest and onto my back. I should've known better than to let my mind slip and assume he'd play by my rules if I focused on utilizing sword skills alone.

"Apollo may have been a bumbling clown, immature, a womanizer – heck, I could go on all night – but there seems to have been one thing you failed to grasp in your obsessive ignoring of him," Armani said.

As much as I refused to believe the sun god had _anything_ of value to teach me, I supposed I'd humor the boy. "And what might that be?"

"That he was a _mean_ combat teacher; at times I'd even call him brutal."

I glared angrily up at him. "He never even _attempted _to teach me anything like that!"

"Perhaps I should add chauvinist to that list of adjectives, then." Suddenly his gaze was drawn upwards, as if detecting something and a small smile peaked on his lips. "I was wondering when you'd get here."

My hands clenched tightly at my tunic as I caught his scent.

_It's him…_

Nico Di Angelo strode out of the shadows, his arms clasped behind his back. "You seemed busy with your new friend. I didn't want to intervene, but it was necessary."

Armani smiled. "Please, Nico, I always have time to beat you up."

The boy smirked before he turned his attention to me. A surge of hurt I wasn't expecting went through me as his familiar gaze met mine. His eyes held nothing of the uncertain warmth they used to. Now all I saw was cold curiosity—and a note of resentment, too.

_Why does it hurt?_

"She really does look like a Hunter."

Armani and I glanced at each other. He spoke first. "Well…she _is_-"

Nico cut him off. "Lya told me the truth."

I watched Armani roll his eyes. "I'm starting to think it was a mistake having her make up with you. It always seems you're conspiring against me."

"Yeah, I'd love to do our usual pre-fight chat, but I need to speak to you."

"Oh? Why so serious?"

"_She_ shouldn't be here is why," Nico said, stabbing a finger down at me. His voice was suddenly very serious.

I'm not sure why, but it really hurt that he was standing there talking about me as if I weren't even there. "You think I don't know that?" I snapped as I pulled myself back to my feet.

"I'm not sure you do. I mean, you _really_ shouldn't be here," he said, not looking at me.

"What are you talking about, Nico?" Armani asked.

"You really don't get it, do you? A soul now exists that _didn't_ exist before. One that wasn't born here and cannot be claimed by Hades upon passing because she isn't his to claim."

"And that's a bad thing?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nico glared at me. "You don't understand. I ran this by my father, as a 'just-suppose' sort of thing, and he says it wouldn't just apply to him, but to all gods and forces of nature."

There was silence for the span of a heartbeat, and then it struck me.

"I'm outside of the order…" I breathed in horror.

Nico nodded. "In every sense. There should never be more than one of a person. It upsets the order of the universe itself. Or so my dad says. Every breath she takes is throwing the world around her into chaos; my advice is to just pray the gods don't find out about her."

"I'M RIGHT HERE, NICO!" I found myself shouting at him. His cold indifference, where once there was warmth and a fear of closeness to others that I empathized with, was too much to take. I could stand the detached attitudes of the others, but coming from him…it just made things a little too real. Armani was right when he said Aphrodite made me see the best in him and the worst, and he had known those things in me, too. And now I was alone with my feelings. The uncertain closeness we'd had was gone. Now all I was to him was some kind of abomination that shouldn't even exist.

He was staring at me in shock, eyes wide. He glanced away after a moment , seeming ashamed of himself, but before he could even start to apologize I had shoved past him and was walking out of the arena.

I _really_ needed to be alone for a while.

Before I could reach the edge of the arena I was brought to a halt when a sound like thunder echoed through the air. I glanced up dead ahead to see a strange pink glow illuminating the night sky.

_What?_

It was coming from the roof of the Big House.

-A-

Both Nico and I saw the strange light being emanated from the Big House's top windows. Selene paused and glanced back at me, and I nodded to her. I sprung up and was about to run after her when Nico stopped me for a second.

"Hey, just what's up with her, anyways?" he asked, inclining his head after the girl.

I grabbed my sword and sheathed it. "Oh, don't worry about her, she just likes you." Ignoring Nico's bewildered stare, I ran off after Selene, the son of Hades following a second later.

-A-

I found Chiron staring up into the attic from below, Selene by his side. Both were staring nervously into the pink glow that illuminated the room above.

"What is it?" I asked the Centaur.

He shook his head. "I have absolutely no idea."

I edged past them and drew my sword. "Wait here…" I said and very carefully climbed the stairs into the attic.

I peaked over the rim and into the room and immediately spied the source of the light.

_What in Gaia's name..._

I climbed up fully and waved my hand behind me to signal the others up.

Selene assisted the Centaur in climbing the steep steps with Nico trailing behind.

"Di immortales…" Chiron gasped.

Suspended in midair, about three feet off the ground, was a jagged pulsating line of purple light. It looked like someone had cracked a dent in the air and a blinding light was shining through from the other side.

Chiron carefully circled it, giving the thing a wide birth.

I followed suit, circling in the opposite direction. Whatever it was, it appeared to be totally two-dimensional, all but invisible from the side except for the fact that it was glowing.

"Chiron?"

The centaur bent down, picked up a splintered piece of wood and tossed it at the strange tear.

The wooden shard froze, suspended. Suddenly the air around it seemed to warp inwards, like a funnel into the gap. The middle section of the wood that was hanging over the tear separated from the rest, bent inwards and was sucked through the gap. The remainder imploded into a shower of wooden flakes.

"Back away," Chiron said, waving us back.

"Chiron, what is this?" Selene asked, her silver eyes glinting oddly in the pink light.

"I've never seen anything like it before," he admitted.

"Chaos…" Nico muttered, staring at the gap in fear. "…A physical manifestation of it."

"Nico, what are you talking about?" I asked him. His fear was becoming infectious.

Suddenly the rift appeared to suck inward upon itself, and with a flash of light it was gone, leaving us shrouded in darkness. The only light now was coming from the moon shining through the window.

"It's started…" Nico said morbidly, breaking the silence.

I didn't question him as I carefully walked to the spot where the rip in the air had been. Nico followed me, his hand on his sword hilt.

Suddenly the dim light in the room changed hues. Instead of silvery moonlight, the attic was bathed in an eerie red glow.

"What the-" Nico said, staring out the window.

Selene walked to his side and gasped.

When I looked up, a shudder went through the very center of my being.

A blood-red moon was glaring down angrily from the skies above.

"Armani…" Nico asked, his voice extremely nervous. "…What's going on?"

I swallowed nervously. "…It's her."

Selene took a shuddering breath, her hand clasped fearfully on her tunic. "She's coming…"

_To be continued..._

-XA-

[A/N] And thus concludes another instalment of the beta version of this fic, the next chapter will be reuploaded soon.

See you in Chapter 4: Standoff.


	4. Chapter 4: Standoff

[A/N] I won't bore you further with my prattling, so I'll skip straight right into it...

**Counterpart**

**Chapter 4: Standoff**

She was shivering. And I didn't think it was due to the draft coming in under the cabin door.

Ever since we had left the attic Selene, had been stumbling, walking on unsteady legs back to our cabin with her arms hugged around herself. Each step she had taken since leaving the Big House seemed more and more labored. Now she was sitting on my bed with her legs drawn up to her chest.

I didn't need a sixth sense to know something was hurting her. Once we were in the darkness of the cabin it became glaringly obvious there was something seriously wrong with her.

Her aura had slowly been shifting colors as we had walked and was now as blood-red as the moonlight outside and growing gradually brighter. The sliver glow that flowed through me was the color it had always been, so it appeared the red moon was only affecting her.

"She's coming for me…" Selene said shakily, breaking the silence.

"Who is?" I asked and sat down by her.

"Your mother."

"Don't you mean _our-_"

"_Your_ mother!" she hissed angrily, pain evident in her shuddering voice.

I reached out a hand and touched her shoulder. Selene gasped, and a stab of cold, throbbing pain shot up my arm, forcing me to pull sharply away.

I looked at my hand and found my own aura was a dull pink, as if Selene's crimson light had partially dyed it. The effect, along with an uncomfortable sensation, like the "pins and needles" you feel when your foot falls asleep, lasted for only a second before the subtle glow returned to its original mercury color.

"It's _burning_…" she said, almost whimpering.

My eyes widened. "What is?"

"It's her! She's sensed something alien leeching off her power, so she's trying to burn me away. _Hurts!_" She gasped in pain and hugged her legs tighter.

_Do something!_

I glanced at my hand and back at her. It was worth a shot. I leaned in and wrapped my arms around her shaking upper body.

I regretted it immediately.

Pain shot up my body from where we were connected, and Selene's light flooded into my own like blood spreading across white cotton.

Selene gasped sharply. "W-what are you doing?" she asked.

"Relieving some of the pressure…" I said through gritted teeth. She had spoken the truth; I could feel myself burning from the inside outwards. "If she wants to get you, then she's taking me along for the ride!"

I felt the pain stab through my head and my instinct flared, trying to force me to let go. I gritted my teeth and held on tighter.

_Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea._

I could feel I was taking the pain off Selene's shoulders, but it felt like the intensity was building.

_**-tify yourself!**_

The fragment of the phrase wasn't so much words as it was an idea; an idea so well-ordered and powerful that it stabbed into my consciousness like a shard of ice.

_**Who are you?**_

Cold, demanding curiosity laced with rage surged out of Selene and into me. I could feel the song of the wild turn against me, like wild animals turning on their trainer. Selene and I let out a simultaneous scream of agony and terror at the sense of every wild beast in creation suddenly wanting to kill us.

"You've got to let go!" Selene screamed. I felt her try and shrug me off, but I was holding onto her for dear life, and her body was getting weaker.

The pain in my head was so intense that I couldn't formulate a reply even close to the level of the assaulting mind. So instead, I shot back a simple emotion: unbelievable irritation mixed with a hint of exasperation.

Basically, feelings that were very me.

The pain stopped dead. Selene gasped for air, and I could feel the malevolent consciousness had relented, mainly due to both shock and confusion. An uneasy idea coursed from it in response. It wasn't painful like before; more unsure, even fearful.

_**Child?**_

That one-worded enquiry is the only way I could describe it.

I couldn't form anything as complex as a word in 'idea' terms, so I shot back as close to '_NO__! It's the queen of freaking Sheba!'_ as I could manage. It was the biggest burst of concentrated, extremely annoyed sarcasm I'd ever put together, packaged conveniently into one thought.

A surge of appalled guilt emanated from the mind, and the force pulled back with such abruptness that an eruption of silver light burst out between Selene and me and sent me spinning halfway across the cabin.

I skidded on my back several feet on the smooth wooden floor before coming to a halt, choking for air.

I sat up uneasily and used a bunk to pull myself to a standing position.

Selene was in a bad way. My female self was laying on her side, eyes filled with so much terror they were almost vacant.

"She tried to kill me…" she said after a moment in a tiny voice.

I could understand why she was in her current state. I'd caught the trailing edge of that fury and managed to lift some of the pressure off her, but she'd gotten the lion's share. She had felt a _goddess_ take the most wild, primal forces in all of creation and try to destroy her with them.

I walked unsteadily over and dropped onto the bed next to her. Just those few simple steps caused me to collapse sideways from exhaustion.

Face to face with her, I saw some kind of tired focus come back into her dull eyes.

She said nothing as she raised a shaking hand to grasp the front of my shirt and tugged a few times. There was no strength at all left in her arms, so I shuffled closer. She didn't stop pulling until she could lean in and rest her head against my chest.

I was shocked with how hot her body felt. Her cheeks were a rosy pink, as if she had an immensely bad fever, and I realized that if I hadn't helped her when I did, Artemis probably would've succeeded and totally destroyed her.

I put a single arm around her and felt my aura wash over her. Her own instinct buried in terror, I allowed my power to become hers, the wild singing her to sleep.

Too scared and traumatized to shed more than a single tear, Selene slipped off into unconsciousness in my arms.

-A-

_Wake up!_

My eyes opened on reflex, my instinct dragging me back to consciousness.

It was still dark outside, but I could sense it was near dawn.

Selene's eyes were already open and staring back into mine.

Neither of us needed to speak. We could both feel it…

Sensing it from within cabin eight must've been amplifying the feeling, as I realized I could sense what was coming despite the fact that it must've still been dozens of miles away. But I knew what I was sensing nonetheless.

Hunters. A very large number of them, at that, moving in an arrowhead formation and at very high speed.

She was there too, of course. I could feel her presence like a flare in the night. Artemis lead her pack with a speed and urgency I'd never felt from her before.

Selene's eyes fell. "They'll be here soon," she whispered, and I could sense she had calmed down. Her earlier fear had been entirely instinctive, and I was satisfied that I had managed to settle it slightly.

I nodded. "She's coming for me, too, now. That's why she's moving so fast."

"Why?" Selene asked quietly.

I glanced out the window. "Before she was just angry. Now it would seem that mom's worried, too."

She smiled weakly. "To speak so informally about your divine mother. How presumptuous you are."

I couldn't help but smile. I was just glad she wanted to change the subject. "If she gets angry, I'll just give her a hug. That usually works."

Selene's eyes widened. "You've _hugged_ her?"

I frowned. "Sure, haven't you?"

"She's embraced _me_ before, but…How can you be so…so _informal_?"

I shrugged. "I'm very formal…at times."

"But to go so far…how could you?"

"It was quite easy. She's not very big, you know. If anything, she's quite huggable."

"That's not what I meant."

"I'm aware of that. But let me ask you; if you didn't hug her, what did you do when she was crying alone in the rain that night?"

Selene paused, as if thinking back. "I stood silently and respectfully by her side, there for her should she need me. It was upsetting, but I knew I had to be strong for her."

"You've dwelled too much on what you learned at that camp you trained at. It seems girl-me has a slight icy coating to her."

"I do not!" she objected harshly. "I've just been taught to respect your superiors above all else!"

I shook my head. "But not at the expense of your affection for them. Never at that."

She averted her eyes again. "Perhaps I just have a problem with intimacy."

"Well, make sure you don't run too far from your affections. If the Hunters all share a fatal flaw, it's that they run away from their personal problems rather than face them; whether it be their own hearts, their family, their destiny, whatever. Our instincts as children of Artemis are always telling us to run, too. We have to be careful not to run from things we should be standing and facing."

She shot me a glare. "Are you implying that I'm running away from my heart?"

I shook my head."I'm saying you're scared, and that you _want_ to run away."

"I was right. You _are_ presumptuous. How could you think to know something like that about me?"

I hesitated before answering. "Because I'm scared of those things, too…"

She paused before speaking again. "And how do you deal with it?"

I smiled reluctantly."I don't. I still haven't quite figured out how."

"Tell me when you do…" She muttered. I watched as her eyes fluttered she drifted off again; the poor girl was still exhausted.

I steepled my hands on my chest and breathed a long, sad sigh up at the ceiling. "Sure…" I whispered, "…As soon as I find out a way to deal with a wife who acts like a bratty little sister and a girl I love who isn't _allowed_ to fall in love."

Romeo and Juliet had it easy…

-A-

_Five miles and closing…_

The morning horn sounded just as I pushed myself up and out of bed.

Though her eyes were still closed, I could tell that Selene had regained consciousness, also.

"Do you want to wait here?" I asked quietly.

She shook her head, ruffling her bangs against the pillow in the process. "No…" She said, pulling herself up, walking towards the cupboard at the back of the cabin and fetching her normal clothes. "It's best I face her when she comes. A wooden door wouldn't exactly hold her for long," she said and began changing.

She paused with her top half-unbuttoned and glanced at me. She frowned and twirled her index finger vertically in the air. "Do you think maybe you could-"

_Girl plus changing clothes equals…Come on, Thalia said something about this…_

"_Right__!_" I said as it hit me, and did a swift one-eighty on my heels, waiting for the rustling of clothes to finish behind me.

"Okay," she said a moment later, and I turned about to find her brushing her hair and dressed entirely in black again. The way her silver glow contrasted the black made her look like a walking lunar eclipse. "Now help me braid this lot back up," she said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder.

I obliged, and it disturbed me how good I was at it…

-A-

Selene and I strode out into the morning light, stopping a few feet apart in the space between the rows of cabins, and facing the darkness of the forest ahead, waiting…

Neither of us said anything. My counterpart wore a look of stern determination that I found admirable.

It was eerily silent; the only sound was the shuffling from the cabins around us. As we stared off into the shadows of the forest, I was strangely reminded of the tense silence that you'd see portrayed in an old Western before a shootout.

The silence was shattered when Nico Di Angelo shot out of the shadows of the trees and skidded to a halt before us. He glanced up at me. "Armani…" he said, gasping for breath with hands braced on knees."Was just out for a walk and…Well…" he pointed a finger back over his shoulder. "Thought you'd like to know; we've got company!"

I didn't take my eyes of the forest. "I know…"

Selene closed her eyes and spoke up. "Their line's spreading out and inverting. They're moving to flank the cabins from all sides, it seems."

"Nico…" I muttered.

"What is it?" The son of Hades asked, his eyes flicking about the forest for signs of movement as his hand gripped the hilt of his sword.

"I want you to do me a big favor."

"If I can, go ahead."

I glanced nervously at Selene, who was still eyeing the forest. I leaned in close to Nico and whispered a short set of instructions.

The half-blood blinked. "You're sure?"

"Think you can pull it off?" I asked under my breath.

He smirked in response and walked slowly to Selene's side.

"What are you two up to?" Selene asked offhandedly. She glanced at Nico, who was now standing silently at her side.

"I just asked Nico to give you some emotional support is all."

Her sigh turned into a gasp as Nico nervously took hold of her hand. She flinched, but didn't pull free of the shorter half-blood's nervous grip.

"I don't need your help," she grumbled, but I couldn't help but notice as she gripped his hand tighter.

"Yeah, well-"

I cut Nico off as I saw the movement in the trees. "Heads up folks, here they come…"

The Hunters melted out of the forest with such fluidic grace you could almost think they'd shadow-travelled.

Some paced out calmly, advancing forwards. I caught several blurs to the left and right as some of them shot out behind the cabins to encircle the area. Some leapt up to the rooftops and jumped from building to building until they were in positions to see most of their surroundings.

A number of silver wolves trotted out of the undergrowth and began pacing about the vicinity of the cabins, growling menacingly at any half-bloods who tried to move out from the buildings.

_They're not playing around this time; mom must really not want to take any risks on this._

I glanced calmly about as the Hunter cordon took shape and the ones in front took up a semi-circular formation.

The half-bloods that had been mingling about the open space immediately backed up to their cabins as the Hunters aimed arrows and drew knives.

"What are they doing?" Nico whispered, his eyes flicking from Hunter to Hunter. His left hand was tugging nervously on his sword hilt.

"They don't know quite what to expect. It would appear Mom's taking no chances," I said in an observational tone.

Once they were in position, two figures emerged from the forest behind them. You'd think that the first thing you'd notice would be the taller of the pair, with her wild black hair and silver headband. But no, I guarantee that in this situation your eyes are invariably drawn down to the smaller one with the strange eyes. For the first time since being claimed, I was legitimately frightened of my mother.

As Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, stopped with Thalia by her side, I let a calm smile spread across my features and spread my arms welcomingly. "_Ladies_. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Nico scoffed. "Yeah, if I'd known you were coming I'd have baked a cake."

"Easy, Nico," I warned, as one of the Hunters tensed her grip on her arrow and took aim at the son of Hades.

Artemis stepped forward, and saying nothing as she reached up and, to my shock, cupped my cheek gently in her small hand.

Her silver eyes held an odd tenderness as she assessed me. "You're not hurt?" she asked after a moment.

I shook my head. "No, a little sizzled and shaken but otherwise unharmed."

She was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry…If I had known-"

I shook my head again and raised a hand to cut her off. "There's no need to explain yourself. As you can see, I'm quite all right. So why not explain to me why you brought such a _grand _reception committee? Don't get me wrong, I'm quite flattered that you'd go to this much trouble for little old me, but it just seems a little _much_."

The goddess dropped her hand back to her side. The look of relief and guilt on her face was immediately replaced by one of suspicion. "Why do I get the feeling that you know precisely why I am here?"

"Mother, dearest, I couldn't be more surprised by your appearance here."

_I thought we didn't lie!_

_I didn't lie! I _was_ surprised…initially…for a minute…_

"Then why were you out here waiting for me?" The goddess asked skeptically.

"Lucky coincidence," I replied with a smile.

"And why are you hiding your thoughts from me?"

I shrugged. "Oh, you know me…"

Suddenly a flash of surprise went across her face. "All right, that explains you…" Her gaze flicked suddenly to Selene, who was doing her best to look as inconspicuous as possible and not meet the goddess' eyes. "But what about you?"

Selene turned slowly to the goddess. She wore a mask of calm identical to my own. "Excuse me, my lady? I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

"You have masked your thoughts and emotions from me as well."

"I don't see why that's a matter of confusion, Lady Artemis," she asked innocently.

_Hmm, she's almost as good as me at this._

Mother's silver gaze slid back to me. "Where is she?" she asked abruptly.

_And here's the crux of the issue_.

I blinked in mock surprise. "Mother?"

"Do not play innocent, Armani, you're exceptionally unskilled at it. It was not you I was intending to attack, but someone else who is here."

"Why don't you elaborate for me, mother, perhaps I can help."

The goddess glowered at me. I could tell she was still upset about accidentally hurting me, and so she didn't snap, but I could tell I was severely pushing my luck. "I received a _complaint_ from Eros on behalf of Aphrodite. Apparently one of her children reported they were attacked. Would you like me to tell you just _what_ she claimed attacked her?"

_Wow, Mila told on me, shocker…_

"Might I ask why you care if Aphrodite is upset over something so small?" I enquired cordially, doing my usual thing of trying to subtly change the subject.

"I _don't_ care. What I _do_ care about is what she claimed did it."

I sighed. "I'm going to take a stab out of left field…Was it a Hunter, by any chance?"

She raised a single eyebrow. "A splendid guess. Now, would you care to enlighten me as to how that could be possible?"

I hummed in thought. "Well, you sure have a lot of friends. Are you sure some of them haven't been playing truant on you?"

She went silent again. "…Try again," she said after a moment, giving me a warning glare.

I groaned and rubbed the sleep out my eyes. "Just what do you want from me, mother?"

"I want you to tell me the truth, _for once_, with no beating about the bush or avoiding the question."

_She's gotten to know me dangerously well._

"Why don't you tell me what you sensed, then? After all, there's no way you'd commit to coming here with all your Hunters just on Aphrodite's word, so you must've detected something yourself."

Artemis inclined her head curtly. "Very well; I didn't notice it before since it was so well blended with your own presence, but once Aphrodite made her accusation I gave closer scrutiny and sensed a second being within cabin eight. It almost felt like-"

I cut her off. "Like there was two of me?" I offered with a smile.

The goddess paused, then responded grudgingly, "…Yes."

I laughed. "Despite the fact that you know that's totally impossible."

"Correct…" Artemis muttered. I noticed that in the past few minutes her eyes had been flicking to my left, and now they had settled on a spot just beyond me.

I glanced over my left shoulder; she was looking at Nico. I looked back to Artemis to see that she now had an expression of concentration on her face. Nico was looking right back at her with guarded confusion.

"W-what?" Nico asked, seemingly rooted to the spot by Artemis' intense stare.

It took a second to realize what was going on. When it hit me, I opened my mouth to object, but my mother beat me to it.

She asked Nico in a level tone, "Where is the object I seek?"

"Nico! Don't!"

"Nico! Don't!" Both Selene and I objected in perfect synchronization.

Nico flinched back. "What? I'm not saying anything!" he objected, but it was too late. Asking the question had brought the answer unbidden to the surface of his mind.

_She couldn't read me and she couldn't read Selene, so she used Nico instead_.

My gaze went back to Artemis; she was staring at Nico, looking clear into his unprotected mind. There was no way to stop her, or stand between Nico and the power of her omnipotent mind. It was over in a second, and her head snapped around to Selene, silver eyes flashing in the morning light.

"_You!_" she barked in a low, feral voice. The air began swirling around her. "You would _dare_ to -"

"Wait!" I interrupted. My mother's eyes flicked back to me, burning with fury and frustration.

"Silence! You assisted her; it _wasn't_ you I attacked!" She gasped for air, clearly struggling to control her building anger. Suddenly her eyes seemed to get moist. "How could you let me think I hurt you—you, of all people?"

I felt a pang of shame that I would no doubt have to address later. "You don't understand…" I mumbled, not meeting her pained eyes.

_Obviously, she didn't get the full story._

A point of objection came to me. "Wait, wait! You can't attack her; she's still a maiden… at least I _think…_" I glanced at Selene, who had backed up a few paces from the furious goddess. "Umm…you are a maiden, aren't you?"

She glanced at me in disbelief. "None of your damn business!" She rolled her eyes. "But _yes_, if it's of any importance, I am!"

I turned back to my mom. "See? A maiden, of the virtuous variety. Ergo, no killing!"

"Irrelevant," the goddess growled.

I blinked. "Excuse me? Last I checked, your CV quite clearly stated _Guardian of Virtuous Maidens._"

"She has intruded upon my domain, not to mention having the gall to proclaim herself a Hunter and act in my name! She has defiled the title that would have protected her." Her hand drifted to her knife. "I can think of no greater insult. Her life is forfeit."

I gaped in disbelief as my mother swung her knife at Selene.

_Gods, it's not just the insult; she's blaming her for attacking me! _

My hand went for my sword and drew it straight into a slashing arc. There was a flash and the force of Artemis' strike almost took my shoulder clear out of its socket as I blocked the goddess' blade with my own.

"Armani!" Artemis gasped, drawing back immediately. "What do you-"

"Selene!" I interrupted, standing up and shaking my aching arm.

"W-what?" she stammered, her face white with shock.

"Let her in," I said, glancing at the amassed Hunters. If it had been anyone else who had raised a sword to Artemis, they'd be looking like a life-sized voodoo doll someone had taken a particular disliking to right now.

"She just got it from Nico!" she objected.

I shook my head. "No, she was pre-emptive. She wanted to know who was using her power in the camp and sleeping in cabin eight, but she stopped before getting the full story."

She clenched her sword hilt angrily. "I don't want to let _her_ in my head!" she hissed.

"Do it or you're dead!"

-S-

She actually tried to kill me…

It was one thing to be attacked by a disembodied force, but to see it in her eyes, the eyes of the person who had given me life and protected me from Aphrodite…

After everything that had happened to me in my life, I thought she was the one person who would never hurt me again.

It was like with Nico, only a hundred times worse. To have your own mother look at you, not recognizing you, _hating_ you…it wasn't just upsetting, it was terrifying.

But the thing before me wasn't my mother, not really. It looked like her, walked like her, talked like her, but it wasn't her.

She was just an imitation, an insult to the memory of the goddess I loved.

But then she looked at him, she talked to him, and then I was reminded again; reminded of the way she used to look at me. The boy that could stand before the Goddess of the Hunt and freely bait her…well, in my world, it was impossible. And yet, as irritated as her facial expressions were, the tenderness in her eyes never abated whilst she looked at him.

But she never looked at me except to ask a question; even when she was expressing her contempt for me, she kept her gaze locked on her child.

I didn't blame Nico; he wouldn't know to keep his mind hidden from her. Artemis, on the other hand I could place plenty of blame upon.

She was not my mother.

She was _his_.

Just looking at her and knowing that hurt in a way I can't describe.

I couldn't help but feel resentment surface against Armani; but then he took _that_ from me, too. He had the audacity to save my life. He didn't hesitate before raising his sword in defense of me.

_You would've done the same; no matter how much you claim boys annoy you._

Shut up…

And now he wants me to let her in? Let her in the most sacred place I have? The once place I have that cannot be taken by force? That _one_ place that has something left of my own home to it, and he wants me to just _give it to her_?

Of course I refused.

And of course he told me in kind I was doomed unless I let her know the truth.

And of course he was _right_, but the malicious part of me thought it might be better to let her kill me and _then _let her find out just what she had destroyed.

Normally I was nothing but formal with Artemis, and I had the greatest love and respect for my mother back home, but not a spark of those feelings came out for her here.

A cold smirk played on my lips. "Why should I?"

At that he turned fully around, lowering the sword in his hand, and I saw that goddamn look of understanding in his eyes again. "Because I've once stood in the same position you're in right now, and I did something horrible with the same secret you hold; I used it to cause pain."

I cocked my head. "And why should I care?"

"Because, Selene, if I had a chance…"He paused as if remembering something painful, but collected himself after a second. "…Because if I had the chance to, I'd give everything to go back and stop myself from taking my pain out on another, especially the way I did."

"But I'm _not _you; you seem to keep forgetting that."

"You're also not someone who enjoys hurting others. I'm asking you, please, not to hurt her like I did."

_Damn him!_

A pained groan escaped me. "I really do hate you, you know that?"

He smiled warmly in response. "We just take some getting used to."

I shook my head and turned my attention to Artemis. She had paused while Armani talked to me, and had settled on trying to burn holes in me with her eyes. In fact, the only thing stopping her seemed to be the fact that Armani was currently acting as an impromptu human shield between us.

I couldn't exactly run; the space was way too open, Artemis could take me down from a mile away, and it's not like I could take out _all_ her Hunters; some of them were half-decent fighters.

I cocked an eyebrow. I was sure Artemis wouldn't entertain this staring contest for long. "There's something you need to know."

She didn't break her gaze. Artemis stood with the carefree air of an atomic bomb about to go off in your face. "And what might that be?"

I closed my eyes and unblocked my thoughts, silencing the j-pop song I focused on to shield my memories. "I'm an open book, my lady. Why don't you come in and have a look around?"

-A-

It didn't take long.

Artemis staggered back, wide-eyed in shock. I immediately felt her mind leap straight into mine for confirmation. I dropped my defenses and she glanced into my own memories of the girl who stood before her. I could sense her pleading with me to show her Selene was lying.

I had no such good news.

Thalia had grabbed her arm and was staring at the goddess fearfully. "Lady Artemis…What's wrong?"

Artemis withdrew from my mind slowly and froze dead, no emotions on her face save a look of indescribable disbelief.

"So now you know…" Selene said in a sad tone, her hand clenching Nico's for support.

"I'm so sorry, mother," I said. "I just didn't know how to come out and say it."

The goddess still stared blankly at nothing in particular. "Lady Artemis?" Thalia asked uncertainly, glancing into the vacant eyes of her goddess.

"Is she… okay?" Nico asked uncertainly, leaning in to glance at Artemis, who was still frozen.

"She's just a little stunned, Nico," I said.

He cocked his head. "Looks more like she just got hit with the blue screen of death! Yup; Armani, you just crashed Artemis."

I rolled my eyes. "Nico, please…"

"Hey, Lady Artemis…" Nico said, waving his free hand up and down in front of her unblinking eyes. "Control-Alt-Delete…" He glanced back at me and shrugged. "Well, I'm out of ideas."

"Nico Di Angelo," Artemis mumbled after a moment, "If you don't get out of my face in three seconds I'm turning you into a warthog."

Nico smartly withdrew. "Sorry, Ma'am."

"Lady Artemis, what's going on?" Thalia asked, glancing between us.

Artemis took a breath to steady herself. "Lower your weapons," she said out loud. The Hunters complied, glancing about at one another in confusion.

"Lady Artemis, _please_ tell us what's happening," the lieutenant half-pleaded.

Selene answered her. "My name is Selene; Selene Dove. Does that help?"

Thalia's eyes widened, and then she glared at me."Since when did you have a sister or…cousin?"

Selene sighed. "I'm not his sister, or anything else. I'm his…What was it Chiron called me a few days ago? Had such a wonderful science-y ring to it?" she pondered.

I answered in a deadpan voice, "My trans-dimensional probability variant."

Thalia's face turned bewildered. "Lady Artemis, what are they talking about?"

The goddess in question was staring right at Selene. "Put simply, Thalia, she is Armani from an alternate reality…She shouldn't be here." She added that last part in an almost frightened whisper.

The disbelieved mumbles from the amassed Hunters and the people peeking out from inside their cabins were more than predictable.

Thalia just gaped at Artemis, then Selene, then me and back again. She did this for some time. I suddenly noticed the Hunters doing the same.

"All right, Ladies and spying half-bloods, show's over!" Selene announced. She clapped her hands loudly, causing everyone nearby to flinch. "If there's nothing else…" At that she swung about and paced off, not seeming to notice she had grabbed Nico's hand again and was pulling him with her.

"Wait!" Artemis snapped. Selene froze dead.

"Is there something I can do for you, Lady Artemis?" she asked, glancing back at the goddess out the corner of her eye.

"I ask you to remain for a-" Artemis halted mid-sentence as if sensing something. "Now what does _he_ want? Surely he can't have _already _found out!"

I didn't need to ask who she was referring to, as suddenly a shaft of sunlight pierced through the clouds above and reached all the way to the ground. "Don't look at it!" I shouted to anyone who didn't know what was happening.

I glanced away. The shaft of light became blindingly bright, like a contained explosion, as a certain someone arrived in his immortal form.

I didn't need to turn around to know who now stood behind me. "Good morning, uncle…"

"Apollo?" Nico breathed, uncovering his eyes.

I looked to my mother. She was staring at her twin, and I turned to the sun god as well.

_Okay…Something's up here._

He wasn't smiling. He wasn't flirting. He didn't even greet us with a simple 'howdy campers!' like I half-expected him to. He just stood there in his usual casual attire, observing us in silence.

Selene backed away from the sun god, Nico shadowing her (no pun intended). I'm not sure if she was aware that she had backed up to Artemis' side, but I probably would've done the same. Something was very off with Apollo.

His stare wasn't the only thing off about him. He was flanked from behind and the sides by what looked like three old ladies. One held a large ball of wool, one a pair of knitting needles, the other a pair of scissors.

_He's brought the Fates? What's going on?_

The sun god seemed oblivious to us all, silently regarding Selene. After a moment he turned to the Fate holding the ball of string. "So what do you think?" he asked the old woman in a level tone.

The woman didn't actually say anything in response. She simply held out the ball of wool in her upturned palm.

There was a moment of silence. Suddenly the ball of string seemed to warp inwards on itself, then exploded, raining down a shower of tiny woolen threads.

Apollo cocked his head. "That bad, huh?"

The Fate didn't respond with anything more than a mute inclination of her head.

"I see…If that's the case, then I suppose I have no choice," he muttered sadly.

As if in response, the two remaining Fates held out their hands, offering their implements to the god.

Apollo took the needles and scissors, and as he brought them together in the grip of a single hand they seemed to shimmer and distort into one object. The mass elongated in his hand until he was holding what looked like a shimmering heat distortion in the rough shape of an arrow.

I backed up a few paces to stand in front of Selene. "Uncle, what are you doing?"

Apollo didn't respond, nor did he even meet my eyes as his golden bow materialized in his hand. "Armani…" he said in a quiet and, if I didn't know better, _a__shamed_ tone. He raised his bow and took aim with the single arrow at Selene. "…Get out of the way."

I didn't even hesitate, just acted on reflex. My own bow materialized in my hand and I took aim right back at Apollo. "Don't you dare!"

"You think I _want_ to do this?" the sun god shouted back. "I have no choice!" To hear an almost helpless tone of voice from a god was a scary thing to say the least.

I felt a hand on my back as Selene gently nudged me aside. Her hand slid free of Nico's and clenched into a fist at her side.

"So now you'd kill me, too?" she asked, her voice thick with emotion.

Apollo's grip tightened on his bow."You don't understand…If I don't do this…"he paused and shook his head.

"Mom," I said, turning to the goddess, who was staring blankly at her brother."You can't let him do this."

"Yes she can," Apollo said. "She knows she has to."

"Is there really no other way?" Artemis whispered after a moment.

I gaped at her. "Mother! You can't seriously be considering just _letting him_ do this!"

"Lady Artemis," Thalia asked tensely, "what's Apollo doing?"

"That's an arrow of fate; it can only be used by Apollo in capacity as the god of prophecy. It has the capability to wipe a person and their entire existence from the fabric of reality. To put it simply, Apollo's going to destroy her."

"Why are you doing this?" Selene asked in a small voice. "I really don't understand anymore."

I suppose that being turned on by one and then two gods who she had once known as family was too much for her. As spirited as she was, it seemed my female self was finally reaching the end of her rope.

I guess that meant it was all down to me.

_Spiffing…_

I took a step forwards and shoved Selene unceremoniously back into Nico, placing myself between her and the sun god. I retook my aim at my uncle. A dark, enraged snarl spread across my face. "All right, uncle, you'd better have a _damn fine_ explanation for what you're trying to do. Mom may not be able to interfere in this prophecy bull, but that's what half-bloods are ? Explain yourself!"

_You're picking a fight with a god armed with an existence-destroying arrow._

_I'm more than aware of that!_

_Good, just making sure…_

Apollo shook his head, his hands trembling on his bow. "I don't want to do this…gods, I don't!"

"Then _why?_" I asked desperately.

Apollo scowled. "Why? _WHY?_" He took a hand off his bow and stabbed a finger up at the Big House. "THAT' S WHY!" he roared, and as if on cue a purple glow began pulsing out of the windows.

I saw the glow intensify, and even from here I could recognize it as the same phenomenon from the previous night.

I expected it to disappear after a moment, like before, but it wasn't so simple this time.

A huge corner section of the Big House's roof began warping down and inwards upon itself.

There was a mighty crash as a huge section of the roof and attic suddenly imploded, sending a huge shower of timber and miscellaneous junk hurling up into the air above the camp.

I caught sight of the tear for a few seconds before it folded and was gone again.

_It's getting bigger…_

There was a disbelieving silence, interspaced with the sound of wooden fragments raining down about the area.

It was my mother who broke the silence. "It's already progressed this far?" she breathed, a note of fear in her voice.

My head swung back to Apollo. "_What's_ progressed this far! Uncle, what the hell is going on, and what does this have to do with Selene?"

Apollo turned his gaze back to us. "Additional mass."

"What?"

The sun god rolled his eyes, "Think about it like this; when you pulled Selene there through, you created a tiny dent in the fabric of the universe. This wouldn't be a problem, since the universe is normally in perfect balance in all things. Except for _her_. She's adding additional pressure to that crack with her presence, and with each choice she makes in this reality. Both physically and metaphysically, her mere _presence _here is tearing the fabric of our reality apart. If I don't get something done, then that crack will increase in size until it pulls _everything _through! Do you understand what that means? At the moment it's just spitting debris through, but soon both worlds will overlap and eventually cancel each other out. It'll be the end of everything!"

I went silent to absorb the information. "There has to be some other way."

Apollo shook his head. "I cannot take that risk. As things stand, all I can see coming in the future is nothing, a never ending expanse of emptiness where this universe used to be."

"Mother, is what he says true?"

Artemis shook her head. "I am so sorry…there's nothing I can do."

I took a shuddering breath and glanced at my female self, who stared back at me with determined yet still somewhat desperate eyes.

_This is where she either gives up and agrees with Apollo or breaks down and cries. I guesswe go with Plan B, then. I'm not going to be responsible for her tears a second time._

I steadied myself and a wave of deadly determination surged through me as I took aim at Apollo once more. "Armani…I've already told you, I have no _choice_!" Apollo began warningly, but I cut him off.

"Am I right in thinking there's nothing I can say or do that will convince you to give us time to think up another plan?"

The sun god shook his head. "Armani, it's one thing for family to be in danger and to bend the rules, but this is the weight of all creation. The prophecies I have seen speak for themselves."

I glowered at him. "To Hades with your prophecies. And if _that's _your choice, to Hades with you too! Nico, Plan B."

"Plan B?"

"Plan B."

"Plan B it is." Nico gripped Selene's hand once more and, before she could even raise an objection, he yanked her towards him and both disappeared into shadow.

I loosed my arrow without hesitation at Apollo. It struck his shimmering bolt dead-on, and the last thing I caught before darkness claimed me was the sight of it exploding in a blaze of pink light.

_Something tells me I'm going to get in trouble for this…_

_To be continued..._

-XA-

[A/N] As usual I'll upload the remaining beta'd chapters ASAP.

See you in Chapter 5: Forbidden


	5. Chapter 5: Forbidden

[A/N] Yup, the upload continues, the remainder of the tale should be up at sometime tomorrow.

**Counterpart**

**Chapter 5: Forbidden**

I was in my bed, this much was obvious. The scent around me and the unmistakably comfortable mattress gave that away.

"Awake, are you?" It was Thalia's voice. I opened my eyes to find my mother's lieutenant standing over me.

I turned my head to survey my surroundings. The cabin was a lot fuller than I was accustomed to. Many of the bunks were occupied by Hunters who were sleeping peacefully, which was unsurprising considering they'd been running most of the night. Others were mingling, talking quietly so as not to disturb their companions, or just relaxing on their beds.

"Where is he?" I asked, my voice cold and angry.

Thalia glanced at the cabin door, which I realized was wide open. "Outside, pacing. He had to leave for a while, though. You blew one of his arms clean off when you destroyed that arrow of his."

"Oops," I muttered sarcastically. Two Hunters stood, poised and alert, on each side of the door. I thought this an odd thing to do until another voice spoke up, and I realized why the cabin now had a guard on it.

"That was a very brash thing you did," said my mother's voice. I sat up to find the goddess in question leaning against the opposite wall of the cabin.

I cocked an eyebrow. "Hardly. It was merely giving Apollo what he wanted."

"_What I wanted?_" an incredulous voice shouted from outside. A head poked itself across the threshold. "Do you have _any _idea what it is you've just done?"

I raised an eyebrow at Apollo. His face and hair were badly singed, to the point where it looked like he'd stuck his fingers in an electrical socket. "I've proven that an afro is a bad look for a sun god."

Apollo clenched his teeth; he was _seriously_ angry. "Why, you ungrateful, petulant, shortsighted son of a-"

"Son of a _what_?" Artemis interjected coldly, and Apollo wisely swallowed the indirect insult he was about to make.

I leapt up out of bed and was suddenly assaulted by a wave of dizziness. Thalia caught my arm, but I shrugged free and strode up to the door, stopping with my feet just brushing the threshold, and squaring up to the irate sun god.

I glared at him, feeling the heat radiating off the singed deity. His clothes were charred and his right arm was tied up in a sling, although I assumed it was just a representation of the damage done to him rather than a physical bandage. "You said you didn't want to do it, didn't you?" I asked calmly.

"You know I didn't. But you _also_ know I had no choice!" Apollo replied, not so calmly.

"I know you didn't, which is why I took the decision out of your hands."

"Meaning?" He asked through tightly gritted teeth.

"If you had no choice but to perform that task, then I simply had to make you unable to perform it. I removed Selene, making you unable to attack her right there and then, and then removed your method for attacking her, preventing you from destroying her in future." I smiled slightly, my eyes narrowing at him. "See? It really was for your own good. But if you want to apologize, uncle, then I'm willing to listen."

Apollo moved to lunge forward but froze dead, his eyes dropping angrily to the threshold I was standing behind. His angry glare moved up past me to Artemis, who stood with her arms folded, regarding her twin coolly. "Don't even think about it, brother."

Apollo took a deep calming breath and stood back to full height. "You may have just condemned our entire reality to absolute destruction for the sake of someone who will simply die along with the rest of this world."

"You didn't even give us a _chance!_"

"I couldn't take the risk that the rip might become irreparable!"

"And that justified the destruction of an innocent life? You _'couldn't take the risk?_' Some of the worst atrocities in the history of humanity have been committed by people claiming they 'had no choice'."

His glare turned cold."I'm not human, though."

I shook my head. "No, uncle, you certainly are not." And without another word I turned around and slammed the door in his face.

I slumped back onto my bed; there was a disbelieving silence both in the cabin and from the god outside. I heard a bump as Apollo slumped forwards against the door. Judging by the shadow under the door, he stayed there silently for a moment, then turned and walked wordlessly away.

_Well, I'll be…I defeated Apollo. Wonder why I don't feel so good about it_.

"Mother…" I mumbled after a moment's silence.

"Yes?"

"That was a tad harsh, wasn't it?"

"Only if you feel it was. Apollo can take much worse."

I rubbed my brow tiredly. "Damn it…" I cursed, then pushed myself up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To apologize to my Uncle before he starts moping and causes an eclipse…again."

Artemis frowned. "'Again'?"

I stopped and sighed, "I made fun of sparkling vampires. He threw an apple at me, then blocked out the sun above my head for a week."

The moon goddess looked baffled. "But vampires don't sparkle…"

I rolled my eyes, sucking an exasperated breath between my teeth. "No, mother…"I began, and pulled the door open."They most certainly do not."

-A-

"Uncle…" I said as Apollo paced away, "…Wait."

The sun god paused and turned about. I immediately felt the temperature around me shoot up about ten degrees centigrade, like someone turning on a sun lamp in your face."_What?_" he asked in a low tone.

I averted my eyes from his gaze. "I'm sorry."

His eyebrows went up. "Come again?"

"I said I'm sorry. You didn't deserve what I said."

He turned fully around and paced quickly towards me, the heat increasing with each step. He stopped a pace away.

_This can't be good for my complexion._

"You think so?" he asked angrily. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't reduce you to ashes right now for what you did."

I sighed. "Because, like I said, in my own strange little way, I was trying to help you."

"You've temporarily destroyed a major source of my power."

"Correct."

"You injured me."

"True."

"You insulted me; no, you _hurt_ me."

"Also true," I responded, turning about to try and even up the tan he was giving me.

"Then why shouldn't I kill you right here and now?"

I turned my eyes back to him. "Because I'm sorry, Uncle…"

He stared at me for a second then swung away angrily, with his teeth clenched, and muttered something in an older dialect that I barely caught, although I could've sworn I heard him say something about 'damned puppy-dog eyes'.

I let him brood for a moment. "So…How's the arm?"

"Stings a little…but don't think I've forgiven you!" he snapped.

I smiled. "Of course, uncle."

He swung about and glowered at me. "I'm serious! I have to punish you somehow…" he stared off in thought, and his eyes seemed to brighten. "I _did_ overhear what you said to my sis before you came out here, you know."

A shudder went through me. "So what?"

He smirked. "I'll forgive you, but first…" he extended his hand and a book with a shiny black cover materialized in his palm. I instinctively flinched back from it. "You have to read it, all the way through this time!"

I extended a shaky hand and took it from him. "Come on, Uncle, couldn't you just set me on fire or something?" I asked desperately. Apollo shook his head. "Those are my conditions, and there'll be a test later, so no skipping bits!"

I sighed. "Yes, uncle."

"And thanks," he suddenly said.

I blinked in surprise. "Apollo?"

"For stopping me from killing your…I suppose _sister_ would do. Ignoring the fact it may have saved the universe, it still would have really sucked."

I nodded curtly. "You're welcome, Uncle, and…sorry for blowing your arm off; that was kind of accidental."

He shrugged his uninjured shoulder. "Don't worry about it. The Fates are a bit ticked off right now, but their powers will regenerate in time. But I've got to ask you, Armani, do you _really_ have any idea what destroying that arrow may mean?"

"That I may have possibly condemned the entire universe to total destruction? Sure, I thought about it, but I decided it wasn't worth it."

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "One life against a universe?"

I shook my head. "Who's to say one life is more or less valuable than another? Numbers simply don't come into it. I for one will not spend the rest of my days wading through the blood of an innocent girl."

The seriousness in Apollo's eyes softened. "You really are your mother's child."

The sun god turned and walked off. "I'll leave it up to you, then. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

"Uncle, wait!"

Apollo paused. "What?"

I extended a finger across the open area in the center of the group of cabins, towards the golden building with the sun above the door. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

He smiled sadly. "So you really were serious about that…"

I tilted my head slightly. "My mom's the goddess of childbirth; I have an instinctive thing about deadbeat parenting."

"I'm not a deadbeat dad!" he objected quickly.

I smirked and headed off towards cabin eight. "Well, now's your chance to prove it." I paused at the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Apollo striding slowly up to the door of his own cabin.

-A-

"You handled that well," Artemis said as I entered, still speaking quietly so as to not disturb the sleeping Hunters.

"That was nothing; you just need to know how to deal with him."

"What's that?" she asked as I passed her.

I stopped and glanced at the book I carried under my arm, then back at Artemis, then back again. I took the book in hand. "What, this? This is…A present, Apollo wanted to give it to you."

Artemis cocked an eyebrow and took the book, eyeing it curiously. "For me? Why?"

I suppressed a smile. "He said it was a 'brilliant literary introspective on the twenty-first century maiden that he knew you'd find fascinating_'._"

"Truly?" she pondered, glancing at the cover, then up at me. "Why are you shielding your thoughts from me again?"

I glanced off to the side. "Oh, I just don't want to spoil the ending."

"I see…" Actually, she didn't, because if she could have read my thoughts at that second all she'd have been able to hear would be this:

_Mwah hah hah hah hah!_

I couldn't ponder my getting one up on the gods for long, because that was when a small tapping was heard at the door.

I opened it up to find a small Apollo girl standing there. She glanced nervously at me, then at Artemis, and back to me. "E-excuse me…"

I inclined my head. "Maria, right?"

She blinked and a smile spread across her face. "You remembered!"

"Of course. Is there something I can do for you?"

She glanced nervously between me and my mother. "I hope I'm not intruding, ma'am."

Artemis smiled in response. "Of course not, child."

Maria turned back to me. "It's just, umm, I wanted to say thanks for reminding my dad to drop by." She glanced sadly aside. "He forgets that a lot."

I sighed. "He doesn't mean it, Maria. He's just forgetful all around. But, regardless, you're very welcome."

She blushed and nodded. She had just turned to walk away when she stopped suddenly. "Oh! I almost forgot the other reason I came. My dad asked me to drop you a message."

"A message?"

Maria nodded. "Uh huh. He said, 'Sorry I couldn't be at the ceremony but my heartfelt congratulations on getting hitched'. I think that was it, at least. Anyway, nice seeing you again, Armani!" she said with a wide smile. She bowed once to Artemis before sprinting back to her own cabin.

_Why would Apollo want to-_

"_Hitched_?" a certain someone's voice suddenly said tensely from behind me.

_Ah._

I turned slowly to find my mother glaring right at me, a mix of curiosity and danger in her gaze. So I made one of the most clichéd requests a son can make of his mother. "Promise you won't get mad?"

I couldn't help but feel the stares of the Hunters all about the cabin now burning into me. This was probably the closest thing to gossip some had heard in centuries. "Was that child referring to the colloquial term for _marriage, _by any chance?" Artemis asked tensely.

I laughed in as nonchalant a fashion as I could manage. "Heh…well, you see, they don't actually call it _marriage_…"

_"Armani!"_ she snapped angrily. Suddenly her glaring eyes went wide, as if just noticing something. "Who braided your hair?"

I took a deep breath. "I-married-a-nymph-her-name's-Lya-but-it-was-a-trick-by-Dionysus-I-swear-it-wasn't-my-fault-I-didn't-know-what-was-happening-please-don't-kill-me!"

I gasped for air.

_All in one breath; not bad._

Artemis' eyes continued to burn into me, but she looked awkwardly away after a moment. "I see. Did you… _consuma_-"

I cut her off _right there_. "She's a _tree_ mom! The sheer mechanics escape me!"

Her eyebrows went up. "I suppose they do…Excuse me for a moment." She opened the cabin door and exited.

Silence descended and I glanced over my shoulder to find many pairs of eyes staring at me in silence. I sighed and slumped face-down on my bed. "If you've got something to say, just say it," I mumbled.

"Married?" Thalia asked after a moment's silence, perched on the edge of her own bunk.

I rolled onto my back. "Allow me to reiterate: Not. My. Fault."

"A nymph?"

"_Wood_ nymph."

"Wow."

"Ya _think_?"

An uncomfortable silence descended. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the presence of those around me. One person's presence was disturbing me so badly I couldn't describe it.

I'd sensed her the instant I'd stood up and left the charm around my bed. Amongst all the scents around me at that second, out of all the different fragrances, hers stood out like the moon in the night sky.

Apple and lotus blossom…

Just the memory of that scent caused my heart to speed up in my chest.

_Cool off, will you?_

It wasn't a bad idea. I rubbed my temples tiredly, stood back up and opened the cabin door.

"Where are you going?" Thalia asked.

I paused with my hand on the doorknob. "I need some air…"

-A-

I walked aimlessly up the hill towards Thalia's pine. I was only dimly aware of the dragon growling warningly at me. I merely let the well of frustration in my chest rise up, and growled right back. The beast, looking rather taken aback, shuffled back and slumped down against the pine, eyeing me as I sank down on the opposite side of the trunk.

The dragon's head rose up, its neck coiling slightly around the tree to glare down at me silently.

I glanced angrily up at the beast. "Oh, go away, Peleus. You've got it easy, you know that?"

The beast stared at me for a moment, wondering if the creature that had invaded its territory would leave, or at least do something threatening enough to let him eat it. I did neither.

The dragon gave a series of disgruntled, muttering growls and went back to its former position.

It snarled after a time as something disturbed it, and I caught a gust of wind carrying that scent again.

_She's here…_

"Easy, boy…" I muttered, and felt the dragon relax behind me. An outstretched shadow curved about the tree, the caster stopping just outside my field of vision. "Won't the others wonder where you've gone?"

I heard her slump down at right angles to me against the tree. She was close enough that I could feel her body heat radiating from her right arm. "They're used to me always wandering off. I just said I was going to make sure you were okay."

An odd silence descended. I wasn't the sort to deal with these sorts of situations, so I basked in her presence, despite how uncomfortable it was.

_I get the feeling she wants to talk_.

"Can we talk?"

_See?_

I exhaled a long breath. Her proximity was flaring all my senses, and I was becoming acutely aware of every breath I heard her take and every little shuffle she made. "If you like."

She seemed to edge slightly closer, and I felt her arm brush against my own. I stifled an intake of breath. "So…" she began."Do you like her?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Her who?"

She glanced around at me irritably.

I cocked my head sheepishly. "_Oh_…Her."

"Well?" she asked quietly.

I pondered the question for a moment. "I suppose I do…"

Aren's eyes turned forwards again. "I see. That's good."

I nodded. "Yeah, she's like a little sister…if I had one. A crazy, clingy, hyperactive little sister, but I'm very fond of her. I was once tempted to pour Red Bull on her roots to see if I could make her break the sound barrier, but I digress…"

"Do you love her?"

I glanced around slightly. "Why do you ask?"

Aren didn't answer; she simply gripped the hem of her tunic tensely.

I sighed. "What's that old cliché? Love someone but not _in_ love with them? If I were to hazard a guess I'd say it was something like that."

Aren blinked. "B-but what about…Lya, was it?"

I nodded. "Lya's still a child herself. I've been analyzing her behavior for quite some time now, and as best I can tell…I'm not entirely sure she's _in_ love with me, either."

Aren gaped slightly. "She _married_ you, didn't she?"

I nodded again. "Indeed she did, but I'm not sure she did it because she wanted a lover. I think she was just scared of being left alone again."

"Left alone?"

"Yeah. There's only one of her, after all. I think she found someone she empathized with and didn't want to let go of that bond. I'm not sure if she married me out of being in love, or just out of fear of losing someone she loved."

Aren frowned. "I don't follow."

"All right. You love my mother, don't you?"

"Of course! We've all devoted ourselves to Lady Artemis entirely."

I nodded. "And you'd do anything to remain by her side?"

"Anything."

"But you're not in love with her, are you?"

Aren's wide eyes shifted into an angry glare.

"Okay, that's an emphatic no. But the idea of losing that bond with her terrifies you, doesn't it?"

She averted her eyes sadly. "More than anything… I don't have anything but the mistress and my sisters."

"Well, Lya's like you, too-not that you're airheaded and hyperactive. She just wanted to solidify her bond to me. I guess, in a way, we were both as clueless as the other when this whole marriage thing went down."

"So you don't…" Aren trailed off.

I inclined my head again. "Let's say she's less my lover and more my crazy sidekick. Does that help?"

"It does…And that's what scares me."

I stared at her for a moment. "But you didn't come to talk about Lya and me, did you? This is about _you_ and me, correct?"

She didn't nod or confirm the statement in any way, just continued staring at her lap. She broke the silence after a moment, and said in a small voice, "I'm scared…"

I regarded her in silence; she had changed so much from the Hunter who had once tried to kill me. Not knowing what to say, I simply reached out and touched her small hand. She didn't flinch away; instead, her hand curled open and clasped around mine tightly, so tightly her fingernails dug into my palm. "I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis, turn my back on the company of men, and accept eternal maidenhood…" she whispered as her grip tightened. I held back a wince as I felt her draw blood. "I say it every night…Every night since we parted! And _I believe it_. I believe in my oath with all my heart. So why won't these feelings go away?" she demanded, her voice thick with frustration. In contrast to her words, the grip on my hand betrayed the longing she was desperately trying to deny.

I moved closer to the small girl and put an arm around her shoulder, rubbing a thumb over the back of her hand. Her grip relaxed and her nails removed themselves from my palm. "Selene asked me the same question. I can only tell you what I told her."

"Which is?"

"That I have no idea."

She slumped tiredly against me. "I'm over two hundred years old, you know."

"You look great for your age."

She smiled weakly. "And in all that time, even before becoming a Hunter, I never allowed myself to become susceptible to…to _this. _I'm so confused."

I laughed. "_You're_ confused? You only _dislike_ love; I'm pretty much genetically disposed against it. And here's me going and falling in love with someone I barely even know," I said, muttering the last part under my breath.

Aren tensed. "You love me?"

_I said that part out loud?_

I glanced about nervously, suddenly realizing my vocabulary had deserted me. "I-, I… I"

_Yes, that's a vowel; now let's see if you can get some consonants in there, too._

"You're bleeding!" she said suddenly.

The change of subject gave my brain a chance to partially reboot itself. "W-what?" I glanced down at my palm, which was indeed releasing a small stream of blood.

She grasped my hand and leaned over me to examine it carefully. "I did this?"

I tried to respond, but all that came out was a gulp.

_She's…A tad too close._

It was true; her small frame was half splayed over me, and she didn't even seem to care. My heightened senses were going berserk; her scent was almost intoxicating. Where her smooth pale skin was pressed against mine, I could feel her pulse thudding gently.

_Focus on something else. Focus on your center. Calm down._

I focused on my heart rate, counting to fifteen while counting the beats.

_Twenty-eight times four, that's a hundred and twelve beats per minute_…,

It was only then that I realized I was counting _her_ pulse and not my own, which didn't help much.

"I'm sorry," she breathed out a moment later.

I managed to steady myself. "I wouldn't worry about it, I've had much wor-_ahhh…._" I trailed off into a gasp as I felt her lips close over the scratch. "W-what in Hades are you doing?"

She glanced up at me, and I put my free arm around her shoulders, pulling her head away from my hand to stop her from doing that again. "Disinfecting the wound."

I gulped again. "Ah…actually…muh-modern studies have yet to prove the antiseptic qualities of…" I paused my rambling when I realized how close she actually was.

_Okay, this is turning seriously wrong…_

I was trying to listen to my gut; honestly, I was. Aren was, indeed, way too close, and judging by her expression, she had just realized how compromising our position really was. She was, after all, sprawled out over me, my arms wrapped around her and her face literally inches away from my own.

_Okay, just calm down and let go._

I tried, but I was frozen stiff, like a deer caught in a car's headlights. The Huntress' own arms were wrapped around my midsection to support her.

This time Aren gulped. "I…ah… Think we should…umm…" she stammered, her wide green eyes locked on my own.

I nodded, but didn't move. "Yeah… We should really…move."

Aren nodded. "Uh huh."

"On three?"

"On three."

"Right…"

"One…" But we found ourselves being drawn closer together, her breath brushing across my lips and eyes slightly glazed.

_Umm…can I raise an objection?_

"Two…" Her lips were so close I could feel the heat radiating from them across my own.

_You are aware this is the opposite of what you should be doing?_

"…Three," I breathed as Aren's lips brushed against-

"Armani?" came Artemis' voice from way too close.

_Sweet Hades!_

Aren practically threw herself off me and pressed herself back against the trunk as the goddess in question came into view from around the tree.

_Ohgodsohgodsohgodsohgods_

Yes, I was panicking, and the cool façade I threw up was wafer-thin at best.

Artemis stopped and glanced at me, then at Aren. "So this is where you've been hiding. I've been looking for you."

_Your leg's shaking, calm down!_

I smiled, grabbing my knee to steady it. "Is that so? I was just getting some air."

Artemis quirked up an eyebrow. "So I was told. What are you doing?" she asked and I followed her gaze to see that my right hand was still entwined with Aren's.

Both of us glanced down and snatched the offending appendages back. "Ahh, she was just helping me out… I hurt my hand; she was just making sure it was okay."

Her eyes narrowed just a tad. "I see…Regardless, I've just been talking to Dionysus to get his side of the story as to what's been going on."

"Oh? And what happened?"

"I chided him accordingly for his deception; he seemed somewhat desperate I not reveal the details to my father."

I nodded. "Yeah, I kind of promised not to tell on him, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't."

Artemis inclined her head. "Very well. Now take me to her."

"Her?"

The goddess shot me an irritated look. "You know who I'm talking about, Armani. Take me to your…" she seemed to choke on the word "wife". "Your…the nymph"

I twinge of worry went through me. "That's not really necessary, I mean-"

The goddess butted in angrily, "I will _not_ have some trumped-up tree spirit taking advantage of-"

I interrupted her in turn."It wasn't her fault!" I snapped, and immediately took a calming breath. Mother or not, it's never smart to antagonize a god, unless they're Apollo, in which case it's a source of great amusement as long as you're me. "Mom, you really need to understand; Lya didn't _know_ that I didn't know about the whole marriage thing. She honestly thought I had proposed to her in full knowledge of what it would entail."

Artemis went quiet for a second. "Noted. Now let's go."

"Very well," I said, pulling myself up with Aren following suit. Artemis turned to stroll ahead and I followed tentatively behind as we walked back down the hill.

I glanced at Aren out the corner of my eye. She had her hands clasped tightly in front of her, her eyes were wide with fright, and she was blushing profusely.

I knew I had to do something about the situation before she really did jump off the slippery slope.

_It doesn't help that your mere presence is like offering her a sled so she can get down faster._

She eyed me sheepishly for a second but her eyes snapped forward as soon as they met mine.

"What?" Artemis suddenly asked.

I blinked in surprise. "W-what?"

"Something's wrong, what is it?"

I shook my head a little too enthusiastically. "Nothing! Why ever would something be wrong?"

She glanced back at me. "You tell me…" her gaze flicked to the huntress at my side."…Aren?"

Her lip trembled for a second. "I'm fine, Lady Artemis!"

"Is that so? You're looking a little flustered."

She shook her head slightly. "It's nothing, my lady."

"I see. That's good." She continued walking in silence.

-A-

As we reached the edge of the forest, I stopped. "Aren…"

She halted. "What?"

"Please return to cabin eight, mother and I shall go on alone."

The Huntress glanced between us. "Why?"

I sighed drearily. "Trust me, Aren, it's for your own safety. Lya might react…_badly_…to you being here. Just trust me on this one."

"Do as he says, Aren," Artemis said.

She seemed dejected for some reason. "As you wish, Lady Artemis" she said with a bow and turned, heading off for the Artemis cabin.

We had gone only a few steps into the forest when my mother paused again. "We will discuss her at a later time."

I felt something in my chest tighten. The goddess' tone gave nothing away, neither threatening nor comforting. She was merely stating a fact.

-A-

Artemis had me lead the way deeper into the forest in uncomfortable silence, something she thankfully chose to break. "Where did Nico Di Angelo take Selene? If I may ask."

I didn't respond immediately.

"You don't trust me?" she asked quietly.

"_No_, no, nothing of the sort. Truth be told, I don't know _where_ she is. I just asked Nico to take her somewhere safe and far away, and in retrospect I probably should've issued more succinct instructions."

"I'm sure she'll be fine with Nico."

I passed by Artemis and strode into a clearing. "It's not Selene I'm worried about."

"Meaning?"

I spied a certain tree up ahead. "Let's just say Selene's past may introduce a slight area of…_tension_ between the two of them."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Don't worry, I'll explain later…" I said, stopping and staring up into the branches of the tall tree.

"Stand aside, Armani," Artemis commanded suddenly.

I glanced back. "It's all right, mother, I'll just ask her to-" Any further comment I may have made was cut off as the goddess grabbed me by the shoulder and tossed me effortlessly to the ground behind her. "Mother! Seriously! What in Hades do you think you're doing?"

She didn't answer. She simply stared at the tree in front of her and raised her right hand. There was a distortion in the air and a blurred shape shot out of the tree and into the goddess' waiting hand.

Artemis closed her grip around the throat of the understandably stunned Lya.

Lya's large brown eyes were wide in shock. She tried to gasp in surprise, but was unable to summon the oxygen as Artemis closed her fist about her small throat.

"Lya, is it?" Artemis said. It wasn't a question.

I jumped to my feet. "Put her down, mother!"

Artemis glared at me. "That sounded like a command…"

"Mom, _please_," I asked in a pleading tone, pushing myself to my feet.

The goddess stared at me silently for a second. The only sound in the area was Lya's whimpering as she hung in the deity's unbreakable grip.

"Mom, I'm _begging_ you, please don't hurt her!"

The goddess' stare seemed to soften, and she opened her hand. Lya crumpled to the ground, gasping for air, her eyes filled with green tears.

I hurried to the fallen nymph's side as she stared about in confusion, and then in abject terror as she recognized the deity who now stood over her.

"Ar-Armani?" she stammered as I bent down to support her. "What's going on?"

I eyed my mother defensively, staying by Lya's side just in case the goddess really did snap.

I frowned at the Olympian and she caught my gaze. I didn't back down. "Why do I get the feeling you've been in a bad mood all day? With all due respect, mother, it's not very becoming."

"Do not attempt to redirect my anger, Armani. It will not work. Not this time."

_Wow, she actually caught that? All right, time for a change of tactics._

"Kill her and you have to kill me." I winced as soon as the words came out.

_THAT'S the best you could come up with?_

"I have no intention of killing her, Armani, so you may relax."

_Oh…_

"Oh."

Artemis turned her attention back to Lya, who was now half-hiding behind me, gripping my arm tightly. "I assume you know who I am."

Lya didn't reply, just nodded tearfully.

"Good, then I also assume you understand why I am so _upset_ at the moment."

Lya actually shook her head."No, ma'am," she replied in a small voice.

My mother took a steadying breath. "I am the goddess of the forests. You know this?"

Lya nodded.

"You are a part of the forest."

She nodded again.

"Then you must understand how I feel when I discover one of my subjects has deceived my only child into entering an eternal partnership."

Lya jumped out from behind me. "I didn't trick him!" she objected sharply, squaring up to the goddess.

Artemis' silver gaze turned cold. "Young Nymph, you are either extremely brave or unbelievably stupid."

"Don't call me stupid!" Lya shouted, her eyes moist."I thought… I really thought he knew," she said quietly, gripping her dress tightly.

"Oh? And if I accept that, then why did you choose him in the first place?" Artemis asked, idly reaching down and flicking the first of my braids to indicate what she was talking about.

Lya stared down at her feet as she shuffled them. "You wouldn't understand. No one else did, none of the other Nymphs or Naiads did…"

That seemed to give my mother pause. "Why would you say something like that?"

Lya didn't respond, merely mumbled under her voice.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Fine, then why don't you show me?"

Lya blinked. "Show you?"

Artemis raised her index finger and pressed it to Lya's forehead. "Yes, just relax and show yourself to me."

Lya took a sharp breath as a silver glow spread out from the goddess fingertip and engulfed her body. The nymph froze with her eyes locked on those of Artemis.

The little dryad trembled for a second until Artemis yanked her finger back. The silver glow vanished and Lya staggered back into me.

I caught her, and we both stared at Artemis, who was now gaping openly at Lya. "You wanted a _friend_?" she asked incredulously.

Lya cocked her head. "Yeah, I've never had one before…He seemed-"

"Just like you, yes I know…" Artemis mumbled, "One of him, alone, and one of you, also alone." She shook her head. "So let me see if I have this straight: You sensed kinship in my son?"

Lya nodded. "He seemed…Like me."

"Then why did you betroth yourself to him?"

Lya's eyes were as wide and clueless, as always. "Was that the wrong way to do it?"

"For one, I would not approve of such a…relationship. I mean no offence, but you are a totally incompatible entity; you are a personification of a natural force-"

"Like you?" I butted in.

"Yes, like m-" Artemis paused and turned to me. "Shut up, Armani."

"Sorry."

She swung back around. "Why did you think this was an appropriate thing to do?"

Lya shuffled nervously. "Well…That's what the others said I should do."

Artemis raised a single eyebrow. "The others?"

The Nymph nodded. "Uh huh. They said…umm…" She paused, frowning as if trying to remember. "Oh, yeah, they said 'the best way to keep a man if you want him that badly is to marry him off quickly'. So I figured that-"

Artemis cut in. "That the best way to keep your new friend was to _marry_ him?"

Lya nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, though I did sort of have a bit of a crush…" she mumbled blushing brightly.

"Hang on," I interjected. "I thought you said you loved me."

She eyed me confusedly. "I do!"

A sudden suspicion washed through me. "Lya, when you said you _loved_ me, does this mean like you _love me_ or are _in_ love with me?"

Lya went silent and blinked twice. "What's the difference?"

_Gods, of all the things for me to be right about…_

The goddess groaned painfully. "Lya, did your fellow nymphs not explain that there is a fundamental difference in the different _kinds_ of love people can express?"

The Nymph shook her head. "No…"

Artemis smiled calmly. "Lya, cover your ears, please. Armani, I would suggest you do the same."

"Why?"

"Just do as I say."

Lya and I glanced at each other and shrugged. We complied, and watched as Artemis inhaled a deep breath. Even with our ears covered, we heard her let out a deafening, high pitched screech that echoed through the cleaning about us, the air shimmering from the force.

There was a trembling in the undergrowth, and suddenly a half-dozen nymphs of varying apparent age collapsed out of differing trees and bushes, each clutching their ears in pain.

Artemis closed her mouth and the sound shut off.

Lya unclasped her ears and glanced about as the nymphs stood shakily to their feet. "Lya…" Artemis said, eyeing the various spirits, "…Are these your _sisters_?"

Lya smiled happily. "Yeah, Hiya!" she said, waving at the stunned nature spirits.

Artemis smiled coldly. "Splendid…" the goddess strode forward and clapped her hands once. The sound was like a sudden crash of thunder, and all the assembled spirits jumped to attention. "Who speaks for the forest spirits here?" she asked calmly.

One of their number, a Nymph who, in contrast to Lya's almost childlike features, had the appearance of a girl in her late teens but still wasn't much taller, stepped forward. "I do, Lady Artemis. Might I ask why we have been…_summoned_?" she asked, pausing to rub her pointed ears at that last word.

"Which one advised this young nymph that engaging in a partnership with my child was the most prudent course of action?" the goddess asked calmly, her fingers drumming lightly on the hilt of one of her daggers.

The nymphs glanced nervously at each other.

"_Well?_" Artemis pushed.

The lead nymph responded in a level tone. "We all did, in the spirit of your teachings, my lady."

Artemis blinked. "My teachings?"

She nodded."Of course. Many of our number had been attracted to your son _instinctively_, but it was Lya who showed a real interest in him. As you know, most nymphs and Naiads remain maidens forever. It is you who warns us that most men are only after one thing, and are lustful creatures chasing the tails of any maiden who would drop their guard."

"Boy, is this backfiring on you…" I mumbled.

"_Shut up,_ Armani!" my mother said desperately.

"Sorry…"

The lead nymph continued, "Anyway, as Lya was young and by all terms an innocent, we thought that if she was that intent on being with him, it was best to have it confirmed that at least they were serious in their conviction toward each other. So we advised her to make her advances on him and see if he responded."

Artemis frowned. "Regardless of the fact that neither knew what they were getting into?"

The nymph shrugged. "Lya would've grown into those feelings soon enough, and at least this way we were satisfied she'd be okay."

The goddess' eyes narrowed further. "And what of Armani?"

The nymph shrugged. "What about him?"

It was not a smart response.

Artemis let out all her pent-up stress (which I, admittedly, had not been helping) in the form of a great roar, which manifested into a huge silver shockwave that stuck the assembled tree spirits head-on and sent them flying backwards into the surrounding foliage.

Calm descended, and when none of the spirits reemerged, I assumed most had slunk back into their various floras feeling appropriately chastised.

Artemis turned and advanced on Lya, who, with nowhere to run, had chosen to hide behind her hair instead and was crouched down behind me.

The goddess walked around me, bent down, and parted the nymph's hair to look into her fear-filled eyes. "Stand up, Lya. You have my word I mean you no further harm."

The Nymph slowly and uncertainly replied, smoothing her long hair back behind her. She looked at Artemis sheepishly. "I'm not partnered any more, am I?"

The goddess shook her head. "I just annulled it."

Lya sniffed. "Yes, Lady Artemis."

I sighed. "That doesn't mean we can't still…what's the phrase? _Hang out._"

Lya shuffled up to me. "Mean it?"

"Yes, Lya. Like I said, I'm very fond of you, always have been, and I _do_ love you… In a platonic, sisterly sort of way."

Her eyes brightened. "I love you, too!"

I patted her affectionately on the head. "Good, glad we've got that sorted out. And that doesn't mean you can't still come over on occasion."

"Will you still come sleep in my tree?"

I inclined my head. "Why not…Just promise me this."

"What?"

"No more sleeping in my bed, and _please_, above all else, no more kidnapping famous actors."

"Kidnapping?" Artemis asked.

I looked over, opened my mouth, and thought better of it. "…Don't ask." Then I turned back to the dryad. "Bottom line, Lya: don't overreact every time there's someone else in my life. It doesn't mean I'm going to up and abandon you, 'kay?"

Lya nodded. "okay…"

I indicated her tree. "Best go back to sleep now."

Lya let out a long yawn. "Good idea, really tired…" she mumbled and slumped backwards into her tree.

I strolled slowly away and stopped on the edge of the clearing, regarding Artemis, who stood watching me with her arms folded. "All that because_ you_ didn't want to be a mother-in-law…"

Artemis raised a single eyebrow.

"Let me guess; shut up, Armani?"

She smiled reluctantly and approached me, stopping a foot away. "And now onto the other issue at hand…" Her smile melted. "Well?"

_Let's see how well I can dance about this one…_

"Well what?" I said calmly, and continued walking off.

It was obvious she wouldn't drop it. "You know what, or do you think me blind as to what has been going on?"

"Going on with what?" I sighed.

"Stop!" she snapped.

I skidded to a halt and swung around angrily. "You know what? _No_. You can hurt me, chastise me, heck, you can even destroy me if you see fit. But there's something you need to realize."

Artemis glowered at me. "And what, pray tell, might that be?"

"That as much as I respect you, and, yes, even love you, there is one thing I am _not_, and that is your subordinate!"

Artemis' teeth clenched. "_No_, I am your mother. And you are being stubborn."

"Fine! _FINE!_ What do you want me to say, huh?" I shouted, flinging my arms out. "You're my mother, you're my goddess, _command me_!"

"I don't want to tell you what to do!" she snapped back, and I felt a shiver of fear at her anger. "Why can't you understand when I'm trying to help you?"

I froze as I suddenly realized that she _had_ come here initially to help me. She was worried about me; else she wouldn't have even come. And, even though I hated to admit it, she had, in a somewhat forceful way, helped me with the whole Lya situation.

_Guess it's time to cut her some proverbial slack._

I exhaled a tired breath. "Aren…You want to talk to me about Aren."

She nodded. "The situation needs addressing."

"And by _addressing_, you mean…?"

Artemis frowned. "There are rules, Armani… Rules all my Hunters follow, _equally and without exception._"

I began pacing. "To be fair, she hasn't actually _done_ anything yet, if you except the thing when Aphrodite advised-"

"Advised you kiss?" she butted in.

_I won't even ask how she heard about that…_

I nodded. "Yeah…But there were mitigating circumstances at the time."

"Indeed there were…"

"I suppose this is where you'd like me to say that it's all just nothing, it'll pass, this is just a fleeting thing and we'll both be back to normal given time?"

"_Can_ you say that?" she asked.

I didn't know how to answer that. Instead I remained silent and walked quietly away.

This time she didn't try to stop me.

-A-

I stopped on the edge of the forest. The sun was getting low in the sky.

My head slumped forwards and I breathed a tired breath. "You're still there, aren't you?"

The goddess strode silently up beside me. "How did you know? I thought I had masked my presence."

I continued regarding the camp. "You had. That and everything around you. To use the cliché, it was quiet; a little too quiet."

"I see, very good…"

"Thank you."

She was silent for a moment, but I sensed she had more to say. "I am conflicted," she admitted after a moment.

I shrugged. "Well, you can procrastinate for now. It's not like anything's actually happened yet. But if the time comes and you do find yourself faced with the decision, I ask you to remember something."

"Remember what?"

I smiled compassionately and began backing slowly into the light. "That I'm not the only one here who's fallen in love with a fellow hunter before."

I didn't have much time to think on how good a point I'd made, as the somewhat stunned look on Artemis' face flashed into what I can only call fear. "Get back!" she suddenly shouted with a note of desperation in her voice.

I glanced behind me and tensed up in shock.

_Oh, gods…_

A pink, glowing crack was hovering in the air about two centimeters away from me. "Can't… _Move_" I gasped.

Suddenly, the tear opened like a huge, translucent maw. A pink stream of light shot out of the rift and wrapped itself around my waist like a lasso. I caught the sound of my mother calling my name before I was engulfed in a rapture of pink energy.

_Somewhere…_

The brilliant light that had blinded everyone in the area died down, and Apollo strode forwards calmly with his bow still in hand.

The Fates stood in an equilateral triangle formation, the fragments of Aphrodite's mirror hanging suspended in the air between them, glowing with pink energy.

Aphrodite sat on a tree stump nearby, drumming her manicured nails impatiently on her arm. "Are you all quite done? Will I be getting my mirror put back to normal any time now?"

"Apollo?" Artemis enquired from her position on the edge of the forest clearing.

The sun god stared down at the ball of pink energy on the ground as it solidified into a crouched form.

The caramel hair and black attire were unmistakable. "Gods, I'm good!" he called out happily. "Not even a breach in the universe can affect _my_ aim!" The deity bent down. "Hey, Selene?" he said, prodding the prone body. "Hey, girl, did you cut you cut your hair?"Still no response.

"Hey, come on, now, don't be cold to your old uncle Apollo after he goes through all that trouble to rescue you from that scary alternate universe!"

"_Rescue…_me?" the crouched form muttered. Apollo stood up sharply, staggering back a step.

"Ah…" he said, biting a fingernail nervously.

Artemis frowned. "Problem, Apollo?"

"_RESCUE_ ME?" The hunched person shouted, shoulders trembling with rage.

Apollo rubbed his chin nervously. "Umm…"

An indescribably irate Armani Dove leapt to his feet and punched Apollo square in the face, sending the sun god sprawling flat onto his back. "YOU HIT THE WRONG ONE!"

_to be continued..._

-XA-

[A/N] Okay, I'll catch you all tomorrow, with the next beta version of this little yarn.

See you tomorrow in Chapter 6: Lost


	6. Chapter 6: Lost

[A/N] Thus the tale continues...

Perspective rules are as before.

**Counterpart**

**Chapter 6: Lost**

He was quite upset, to say the least.

The boy was pacing back and forth, cursing madly to himself as Apollo climbed to his feet, cradling his nose in an attempt to stem the stream of golden blood it was releasing. The sun god himself looked too stunned to be angry.

The newcomer seemed too furious to even notice the others in the clearing, staring at him in shocked silence. He skidded to a halt and swung around to face Apollo. "You missed? How could you _miss_? You used your bow! Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the _God_ _of Archery_? "

"Ahh, well you see-"

"It wasn't a question, uncle!" he snapped, causing the sun god to flinch as the child went back to muttering curses under his breath. "I should've known your bumbling would do me in one day."

"If I might ask…" Aphrodite spoke up, raising a finger.

"_What?_" he moaned, pausing to massage his temples.

"Who, or perhaps what, are you?"

He glared at her from behind his hands. "Upset, I'm _upset_ is what I am, Lady Aphrodite!"

"That much was obvious," she commented.

"Apollo, what've you done?" Artemis asked, eyeing the newcomer cautiously.

Apollo coughed. "_Well_, it would appear…that I _may_ have _somewhat_ missed my mark...Kinda".

Artemis' eyes went wide with both fear and anger. "_What_? But you _promised_ me-"

"I know what I promised!" Apollo shouted, shaking his head. "I don't see how this could've happened…." he paused and glanced at the new arrival who was now standing with his arms folded, glaring bloody murder at him. The sun god let out a pained groan and slapped a hand over his face. "Gods, you're not who I think you are, are you?"

The boy cocked an eyebrow. "My surname begins with a D. Work the rest out for yourself," he said sardonically, causing Apollo to groan again in response.

"Oh, not good…"

Artemis strode forwards. "What are you talking about? Who is this boy, Apollo?"

The god shook his head. "She was in hiding, wasn't she?" he asked, glancing at the boy.

The child frowned, but nodded. "She is."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "I wasn't aiming for an individual _person,_ sis, I was using the place Selene used to occupy in this world as a template, or targeting mechanism if you would. I simply aimed for the same thing across the void in that universe…It should have been her. When I could only sense _one_ trace I just thought…I mean, I never assumed…"

"Assumed _what?_" Artemis barked impatiently.

The god sighed. "I never assumed that there was a _second _version of her in the alternate universe…The kid's right, Artemis. I hit the wrong one"

Artemis' jaw dropped, and every pair of eyes turned to the boy who was now glaring darkly at them. "_Armani_ Dove…Pleasure." Judging by his tone, it was anything but.

Artemis mouthed the child's given name in disbelief whilst Apollo muttered something about one of his suits.

"Wai-wait just a moment…" Thalia butted in incredulously, pacing into the clearing and glancing between Artemis and Armani. "Are you saying this _boy_ is-"

"That's right, Thalia…" Armani interrupted tersely. "This _boy_ happens to be Selene Dove, or a variant thereof."

"A variant?" the lieutenant gaped.

Armani didn't answer her; he merely turned his attention to Apollo. "I do hope you realize this is entirely your fault."

The deity's eyebrows shot up. "Mine? It's not my fault I couldn't find Selene in your world!"

"She only went into hiding because _you_ tried to destroy her!"

"Brother!" Artemis gasped.

"Hey! I'd never do something like that!"

The boy frowned. "Not even to prevent the collapse of the universe? By wiping just one single entity out of creation in order to save everything else?"

The god's blue eyed widened in realization. "A fate arrow…" he breathed.

The boy smiled tensely. "A fate arrow. _Luckily,_ you failed. I'm assuming the breach was affecting this world, too?"

Apollo nodded. "That's why we needed Selene back so badly. The breach was trying to pull through the lost mass to get her back, along with everything else, which is why we tried this retrieval method, since simply _jumping_ through the breach would've ripped her atoms apart."

"Why couldn't you?" Artemis butted in gently, staring at the ground.

"Sis?"

"Why couldn't you find her?" the goddess cried.

Apollo held his hands up defensively. "Hey, don't ask me. She must be in one heck of a hiding place is all I'm saying."

"How did you do it?" Armani asked, apparently pushing his anger aside for the moment.

"How did we what? How did we get you?" Apollo asked. The sun god extended his hand at the mirror shards that were still floating in midair. "Behold what remains of Aphrodite's mirror. We used its power to force the breach open for a second and used the string of fate to drag your entire existence through here. I used a weighted arrow with an-"

Armani cut the deity off before he could go into one of his long winded archery lectures. "Never mind about that. Can you send me back or not?"

The god went silent.

"Apollo?" Artemis prodded.

He reluctantly shook his head. "I'm unsure. You've given us more time, at least. Just you being here should reverse the expansion of the breach a bit and slow it down substantially, but it won't hold forever. It's like trying to cork a bottle with the wrong shaped stopper; it'll either still let it leak or the force of pushing it in will make the container shatter entirely, which wouldn't be good, if you're following the metaphor. On top of that, in order to try this again I'd need the thread of fate, and _that_ won't regenerate for some time."

The boy sighed, "I don't suppose I could just get back the same way Selene came through originally?"

The sun god shook his head. "Not a chance. The mirror's been totally destroyed on this end. You'd have to reconstruct it and then break it again."

"Oh, _spiffing_…So you're saying there's nothing any of you can do to help me?"

"I'm sorry…And I don't often say that."

The child didn't respond. His look turned dark, however, and he wordlessly turned about and headed for the edge of the clearing.

"Where are you going?" Thalia asked.

He didn't turn. "The merry old land of Oz. Or, as we call it where I'm from: _Away!_"

"Wait!" Artemis shouted.

"Can't say I'm in the mood," he said, still walking.

The goddess snarled. "I did not _ask_ you!" she shouted, and she extended a hand, casting her willpower over the boy in the same way she would a boy who had spied on her Hunters.

Armani staggered, as if punched in the back, and then, with a grunt, stood up sharply as the energy rippled and rebounded cleanly off his back.

The demigod paused, staring straight ahead. Slowly, very slowly, he began turning about.

Armani turned to face a somewhat shocked-looking Artemis with a cold, furious look in his eyes.

Artemis glanced at her outstretched hand in disbelief. "_What?_" she gasped.

Apollo shook his head. "Those powers won't work on him, Artemis. In the same way I can't enchant my kids into speaking in rhymes or such, he's got a natural resistance to your power."

Armani glanced down at himself, and then slowly back up at Artemis, a cold smirk on his face. "_So_…Can't turn me into a beast, huh? Noted for future reference," he observed with more than a little amusement. "Perhaps you'd like to try drowning some Poseidon children now."

"Please…" Artemis suddenly asked quietly, "…Just tell me where my daughter is."

As opposed to taking pity, the boy's face took on mask of utter disbelief. "_Now _you ask me nicely? Gods, I never realized how good an influence I was on you back home until I met _you._"

Artemis ignored the insult. "Is she safe?"

Armani clenched his teeth. "Let me get this straight; first you kidnap me, then you assault me, and now you want me to _reassure you_? Give me one good reason why, and if you can do it without throwing in a 'because if you don't' or an 'or else', _then_ I'll tell you."

She went silent, her face showing several comments rising up then dying before they could come out.

"Didn't think so…" the half-blood said, and turned to walk off.

"_Please_…" she repeated again.

He froze.

-A-

_Damn it…_

It was that tone of voice, that same vulnerable tone, the one that cuts to my core. The sound of a mother worried about her child.

Despite her shortcomings, I couldn't fault her on that aspect of her personality.

I didn't turn around. "…She's with Nico Di Angelo. He shadow travelled her to safety. He's probably got her tucked away safely in the Underworld somewhere."

I heard her exhale a breath.

_Relieved…_

I continued off again. "Wait…" Apollo said in a calm tone.

I paused. "What?"

"You can't leave. Even if we retrieve Selene, when that's done…" he trailed off.

It didn't take long to realize what he was getting at; when they get Selene back, there would still be one last thing that had to be dealt with: me. And there'd only be one sure way to do that.

My fist clenched tightly at my side as he spoke. "Believe me; if the situations were reversed-"

I cut him off. "If they _were_ reversed…" I stopped mid-sentence as an idea, a long shot, insane could be another word...but if it _worked_…

"_Reversed_…" I whispered.

_Run!_

I didn't ignore my instinct this time. Even _if_ it held water, the plan that had just came to me was still a long shot, and I knew that, like my Apollo, this one couldn't take the chance of failure for fear of the destruction of his reality. So I ran. I bolted off into the forest as fast as I could, running for my life. I knew that if Apollo succeeded and pulled Selene through and then destroyed me, this universe might indeed be spared, but I don't know what would then happen to my own world. Would a 'lack of mass' or whatever cause _my _world to be destroyed? Would it just be sucked into nothingness since the breach in this world would be repaired? I didn't know; all I knew was that I had to get to Camp Half-Blood, and I had to get there _now_.

My whole plan hinged on whether or not Selene's mind worked like mine and had the same idea; I guess I wouldn't know until it was too late.

As I heard the sounds of pursuit beginning behind me, a small smile reluctantly spread across my face.

_Ahh, my old friend the chase, how I have missed thee…_

-S-

The palace of Hades…I'd only ever seen it once, in a dream. The dream was scary. I didn't mind scary, I was good with scary, but what I'm not so good with is _uncomfortable_. And this situation was, to say the least, _very_ uncomfortable.

Nico nervously shifted the food about his plate as Hades calmly attacked a very well-done steak, barely registering my presence.

I glanced down at my own plate; everything looked scorched to the point that every last nutrient and piece of life had been burned away from the vegetables and the piece of…I suppose it was technically "meat". In a way, I was glad the food was inedible. I was actually really hungry (near-death experiences will do that to you) and I knew one bite of Underworld food would keep me here forever.

Why were we sitting around a dining table in an oddly contemporary looking room in the heart of Hades' palace? (Don't get me wrong, it was actually very homey if you ignored the black striped wallpaper and small pictures of various scenes of gruesome death pinned to the walls. It was like something out of a gothic dollhouse.) The answer to that was that I really had no idea.

"So…" the Lord of the Dead suddenly said, swallowing his food. "You're a girl, are you?"

I blinked. "Umm, yes?"

He nodded, dabbing at his face with a shiny black velvet napkin that seemed to be covered in screaming faces. "Good, that's good. Our Nico here just hasn't shown the same promise with the ladies his old dad has."

"_Dad_…" Nico mumbled in protest.

"We were starting to think there was something wrong with him."

"_Seriously..."_

"So will you two be having children?"

"DAD!" Nico snapped incredulously, banging his fork down.

I tried to contain a blush. "Lord Hades! This is hardly appropriate conversation!"

The god waved his hand tiredly. "You mortals and your long winded courtships! Was never like that in the old days. So, why are you here, then, if not for a romantic getaway?" he enquired lightly, tossing a small scrap of meat to a young hellhound that was trotting about the floor.

"Just visiting, dad," Nico muttered.

_Best change the subject._

"Yes, and thank you for inviting me to dinner, my Lord, it was very kind."

He waved his hand regally. "Oh nothing to mention, it's the first time one of my children's brought anyone home in as long as I can remember. _Well_…At least one that's still alive and _didn't_ turn as nutty as a fruit bat and start a war. Ahh, _children…_"

_What an odd fellow…_

"Well, thank you all the same."

"So why _are_ you here?" he asked, raising a jet black eyebrow.

_Well, he saw clear through that attempt at misdirection._

I chewed my lip nervously. "How best to put this? I'm…in hiding, from a certain member of your family."

He tapped a black manicured nail on the edge of his porcelain plate. "Is that so?" he mused. "Which one of my simply _beloved _brethren has a gripe with you, then?"

_Tell him._

I understood immediately why my gut was telling me to be truthful. "Lord Apollo, sir…" I replied as meekly as I could.

Hades froze, his eyes wide, smile locked on his face.

Then I felt something, a small tremor running up my feet. I glanced about as it began building in intensity, the crockery on the table beginning to shake and tinkle against each other. I looked up and realized it was coming from Hades himself. He began trembling, and I could tell it wasn't because he was thrilled about something.

The shaking built up until there was a decent earthquake going on around me.

_Back away…_

Hades' teeth were gritted together, and suddenly he slammed his fist down against the tabletop. The whole thing-table, plates, food and all-exploded into fragments, sending a shower of debris flying against the walls as the Lord of the Dead rose, black flames dancing in his eyes.

"APOLLO!" he roared, and the entire foundation of the room seemed to tremble. Nico and I had already backed up to the wall.

"I think I made him mad!" I shouted to Nico.

"You _think_? He's had a grudge against Apollo ever since the whole shade thing!"

"I figured…" I leaned forwards towards the fuming god. "Is that a problem, Lord Hades? If being pursued by Apollo is a problem, then I-"

He cut me off by stabbing a pale finger at me. "No! Let that blonde jackanapes come into my domain if he dares!" A sickly sweet smile spread across his face and the shaking in the room stopped, to give way to the sound of the wailing souls that made up his robes. "By all means, my dear, stay as long as you like!"

At that he swung about and left the room, thoughts obviously awash with ways to punish my uncle should he actually come after me.

"Well, that went well," I said, breaking the silence. "So what's the real reason he wanted us for dinner?" I asked offhandedly as I followed Nico out of the room, brushing bits of debris off me in the process.

Nico shrugged. "I think he gets lonely, y'know, in part with it being spring and all."

We stopped in the hallway."Well, thank you for this."

Nico nodded. "Y-yeah, whatever."

I smiled. "So what now? Aren't you going to give me the tour?" I said, and before I knew what I was doing I had slipped my hand into his.

He flinched at the contact in a truly adorable manner, and even as he blushed brightly, tried to look as cool and calm as always.

_Wait…Did I just think adorable? He's not YOUR Nico, you know that, right?_

"R-right, let's go," he stammered, breaking me out of my stupor, and lead the way down the dark corridor.

-S-

"So, where were you when you came here?" Nico asked as he lead me through the palace gardens.

I knelt down to admire a jeweled flower. "Hmm? Oh, I was just in Aphrodite's penthouse, y'know, saving the Hunters from falling madly in love with you and all."

Nico blinked. "With _me_?"

I smirked. "Yeah, dozens of lithe young girls all fawning desperately over you."

He was obviously contemplating this. Strangely, his face didn't turn red; if anything, it went even paler. "That's the most horrifying mental image I've ever had, and you're talking to the son of Hades here!"

I stood up and took his hand. "Ahh, you're as strange as ever," I said, brushing a lock of his jet black fringe out of his face.

He blushed and backed off. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I shook my head, smiling slightly. "It's nothing. It's just reassuring, that's all."

"What's reassuring?"

I spared him a glance. "That some things never change…"

His blush seemed to increase in intensity, easily noticeable on his pale features. "Whatever…" he grumbled and trudged off again.

_The universe may be in danger of collapse, but it's always nice to take a break…_

My face fell as my thoughts were suddenly brought back to all those I had left behind, and I thought of _my_ Nico, the one I may never see again, and here I was already getting cozy with his replacement.

I stopped. My hand slipped free of Nico's and fell limply to my side.

He paused and regarded me curiously. "What's wrong?"

I glance up into the blackness. "Nico… can you do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?"

"I want you to take me back to the surface for a moment; I need to send an Iris-Message."

He hesitated. "But what about-"

"Please," I cut him off. "Just for a moment."

He shook his head and took my hand again. "All right, but I'm taking you as far away from camp as possible, okay? I don't want to be on the receiving end of one of Armani's sarcastic rants if you go and get yourself killed."

I smiled. "Thanks, Nico…"

"Yeah, yeah, let's just go…" and on that we both disappeared into the omnipresent shadows of the underworld.

-S-

I paused beside the waterfall he had brought me to. There was a good enough prism effect created by the water for me to use.

I hugged my top around me as I was struck by the cold. The whole area was covered with snow. We seemed to be in a dead forest blanketed with white. The sun and clear sky added no warmth to the scene. There was no sound except for the rushing of the crystal-clear water. It was beautiful, in a wintery, macabre sort of way. "Where are we?

Nico slumped down on a rock. "Alaska. I come here sometimes when I want to think." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a gold coin, which he tossed through the air at me. "Here…Use this."

I caught the drachma out of the air. "Thanks, Nico."

"You're welcome, now hurry up," he said, extending a hand to the waterfall.

"Right…" I said and turned to the spray. "O Iris, Goddess of Rainbows, I pray you accept my offering, I said, and flicked the coin into the light. "Show to me the half-blood Armani Dove."

"Armani? Why are you after him?"

"I just want an update, I'm worried."

A mechanical tone filled the air, followed by a familiar recorded voice."_The demigod you are calling cannot be reached at this time, please check the name and try again._"

I groaned as the coin was returned, flicking it back immediately."Seriously, Iris, this is important. I _really _need to speak to him."

There was a pause and the mechanical tone sounded again, followed by that voice. "_The demigod you are calling can STILL not be reached at this time, no matter how important it might be, please try again later…or else._"

I caught the drachma again as the light ejected it. I sighed drearily and tossed it back up one more time. "Lady Iris, can I talk to you for a moment?" I asked, drumming my fingers impatiently against my hip.

There was a hesitant pause, then the mousy-haired goddess appeared in mid-air, glowering at me i as she tossed the coin back. "What is it? I'm very busy, you know."

I caught the coin and bowed to the goddess, Nico inclining his head politely from his place on the rock. "I'm very sorry for the imposition, but can you please tell me why I can't get through to Armani?"

She frowned. "Because you can't- hang on a second, what's up with your voice?"

I raised an eyebrow curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You sound a lot more…feminine than the last time we talked."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Lady Iris, just who do you think I am?"

Again she frowned. "You're Arty's kid, Armani something."

I groaned. "Iris, please put your glasses on."

She pouted. "Why? I can see you perfectly fine!"

"Please…"

She muttered an objection as she began rummaging around in her pockets, withdrawing a pair of glasses a moment later. As she put them on, the rainbow color of her eyes seemed to shift and change.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Oh, now that's just mean!" she suddenly exclaimed.

I frowned. "W-what? What's mean?"

"You are! You spent all that time going on about how you were a boy, and then you go and dress up like a girl!"

"I am a girl!" I snapped back indignantly.

"Then why did you say you were a boy?"

"I did not!"

"Are you calling me a liar?"

_This could go on all day…_

"No, Lady Iris… "

"Good. Now look here, Armani-"

"Selene."

"What?"

"My name is Selene. I'm not Armani. _He's_ the one I'm looking for."

The goddess paused. "Say what?"

This time I couldn't stop my eyes rolling. "I'm not Armani Dove, we're…sort of related."

She pondered it for a moment. "Oh…so you're saying you're not a boy?"

My teeth gritted involuntarily. "_No,_ my Lady, I most certainly am _not _a boy."

She glanced off to the side at something. "That's odd; you're reading the same on my board, but it wouldn't be the first time I've crossed a wire."

_Hurry it along!_

"Yes, my Lady, people get us mixed up a lot. Now, can you tell me, where is he, or me…the other me? W-what I mean is, can you find another like me anywhere?"

She looked a bit perplexed at the question, but then glanced away again. "Hmm, nope. _Although,_ looking at my records there were what looked like _two _of the same person occupying the same number on my system at one point…That's very confusing…"

"Yes, my Lady I'm sure that…Hang on, did you just say _were_? You mean you can't find the other one anymore?"

She frowned. "Hmm, nope, not a sign. There's just you now."

"Can you tell what happened at all?"

Her eyes glazed over for a second, as if concentrating. "I can't say, one minute there were two of you and suddenly there was only one. For a while there, both of you were gone, but at the moment I can only see you."

Nico approached. "What does that mean?" he asked between us.

I shook my head, "If Lady Iris couldn't see me when you hid me in the Underworld, then that would explain losing track of one of us, but not both."

Nico nodded. "I see. So if she can only see you, then what the heck's happened to Armani?"

I frowned. "I don't know, but I have to find out. Lady Iris?"

"Yes my dear?"

"Here…"

I approached and tossed the drachma back into the image. Iris moved to catch it, but it clattered to the floor somewhere behind her and she began fumbling around to find it. She stood up a moment later and tossed the gold coin off to the side. "Almost…One of these days I'm gonna get it first time. Now, what can I do for you?"

I paused to think. "I need to find out what's happening in Camp Half-Blood; can you show me the centaur Chiron?"

The goddess shrugged. "Can do, just a sec…"

Iris' image faded, and a second later Chiron appeared in the air. He was currently reading an ancient tome of some kind. The centaur saw me when he glanced up, and staggered back in surprise. "Selene!" he gasped, glancing around suspiciously. "Where in _blazes_ are you?"

I tried to glance behind him to see if he was alone. "I'd rather not say. Chiron, I don't have much time. Can you tell me what's going on at camp? I can't seem to get a message through to Armani."

He hesitated before answering. "That's unsurprising. Selene...Armani's gone."

Nico inhaled a sharp breath and staggered up off his rock. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head. "We don't know. One of those cracks appeared in the air and seemed to swallow him up."

_Oh, gods…_

"Is he…did it kill him?" I asked.

"I can only speculate and tell you what I've already been told. It was, apparently, different than the last one. Something seemed to shoot out and drag him into it. Lord Apollo seemed particularly shocked for a while before he seemed to figure it out."

"He's not dead," Nico suddenly said.

"Nico?" I pushed.

"If he were dead, I'd have known about it by now. Trust me; I've got people who keep their ear to the floor for this kind of thing for me. I couldn't do it during the fight with the Titans, since so many half-bloods were dying it was impossible to distinguish them, but now things have gotten quiet I'd be able to sense a half-blood passing in my sleep. And trust me; the passing of the only child of Artemis would cause quite a stir."

I nodded acceptingly. "So, he's not dead, at least. How's my-How's Lady Artemis doing?"

He sighed. "She's shell-shocked but not quite in despair yet. She knows he's not dead, but she doesn't know if he'll ever come back."

For the first time, I did feel some pity for my mother's counterpart. I wondered if my own mother felt the same way when I disappeared.

I brought Chiron back to topic. "You said Apollo figured it out. What does that mean?"

He nodded. "Apollo said the breach had self-repaired and almost stabilized itself, at least for now. He said that there's only one thing that could account for that."

"And that is?"

"A 'reduction of mass' is what he said. Apollo thinks someone from the other side-that is, in your world-opened up the rift and dragged Armani through."

"You mean Armani's in the alternate universe now?" Nico asked.

The centaur nodded. "At least that's what Apollo believes, and for lack of a better explanation I'm inclined to agree with him. At least it's better than 'he was pulled into limbo' or such."

Nico spoke up again. "But why would they drag Armani through? I mean, what would they want with him?"

I found myself speaking the answer. "They weren't after Armani…"

By Nico's look I knew he had caught on. "You mean they were after…" he nodded at me as he trailed off.

Chiron inclined his head. "Yes, that's what Apollo thinks, too. He believes they were after Selene."

"They couldn't find me because I was hiding."

Nico continued. "And when they couldn't find you, they found Armani?"

"That's what it would seem. It's both a blessing and a curse. It's blessed us with more time, but cursed us in that if we can't get Armani back then the breach will open up again sooner or later, and more violent and devastating than before."

"Why?" Nico asked. "I mean, if there's like only one Armani slash Selene, shouldn't that keep it quiet?"

He shook his head. "No. According to Apollo, when there were two of them the breach _was _getting larger, but it was at a steady rate."

"And now?" I asked.

"_Now,_ as opposed to two people slowly corroding reality and making it worse steadily, it's one person who doesn't _fit _correctly, i.e. you, and space tightening around that non-conforming piece, the piece now occupying the space where Armani Dove should be. Apollo predicts that at some point the fabric of reality will shatter and the breach will stay open, getting larger and larger until…Well, I'm sure you can guess."

We could. "That would mean it's happening on the other side, too, then."

He nodded solemnly. "The breach between our realities will eventually get to the point where the two worlds will fold in upon one another and simply cancel each other out. And that will be that; the end of everything; _two _everythings, to be precise."

We all went silent to absorb the information. It was Nico who broke the silence. "So… We need Armani back?"

"And Selene needs to get back to her own world," Chiron replied.

"Does Apollo have any idea how to do that?" the son of Hades asked.

The centaur shook his head. "He didn't say, but I think it's doubtful."

All the while they were talking I had been mulling the whole thing over, everything that had happened; crossing over and now Armani being over in my home. I was contemplating the irony of the reversal of fortunes when something suddenly occurred to me. "What if I go back the way I came?" I asked out of the blue.

Chiron and Nico stopped talking. "What do you mean?" the centaur asked.

I was about to reply when my defensive instincts kicked in. "I'll tell you on the condition that you swear not to divulge what I'm about to say to anyone else."

He looked taken aback."Very well, you have my word."

I shook my head. "Sorry, Chiron, but I need you to swear it properly."

He sighed as he caught my meaning. "Very well, I swear upon the River Styx not to reveal the contents of this conversation to anyone else, now will you be out with it?"

I nodded. "I was going to ask if I could go back the way I came."

He frowned. "You mean with the mirror?"

I nodded. "Sure. I mean, why not?"

He shook his head sadly. "Won't work. it was totally destroyed, as you recall."

"No, the mirror in the _attic_ was destroyed. I'm talking about the way I originally came; through the main wall mirror in Aphrodite's suite. In _this_ reality it should still be in one piece, right?"

I saw realization cross Nico's face. "And the mirror your universe-that is, the one in the attic at _your_ Camp Half-Blood-should still be there, too."

I nodded. "Tucked away in a cardboard box."

"You're forgetting one thing," Chiron interrupted. "In order for a connection to be made, Armani would have to be touching the mirror at the same time on the other side."

I smiled. "I didn't forget; in fact, I'm counting on the fact that that's exactly what he's going to do."

Nico frowned. "How can you be sure?"

"Because it's just sort of the thing he's both smart and dumb enough to think of."

Nico shrugged. "You thought of it, too…Doesn't that mean you're both smart and-"

I cut him off with a wave of my hand. "An irrelevant detail. All I know is that this is the best I can come up with for now."

"How can you be sure Armani is thinking the same thing? You are betting a lot on that assumption, Selene," Chiron commented.

I shook my head. "No. I've fought him one on one, and I know that when it comes to planning and strategy we're very likeminded; borderline symmetrical, though I hate to admit it. If I thought something this farfetched up, chances are he's thought of it too."

"I'm still unsure that-"

Chiron was cut off as his image abruptly disappeared and a voice chimed in, "_Please insert one Drachma for another five minutes."_

Unfortunately I was broke, and I had no intention of being dissuaded. "Nico, we're going."

"Going? Going where?"

I grabbed his arm. "The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach Miami, top floor. Now let's move it."

He blinked. "Say again?"

I groaned. "I thought you were an expert at shadow-travelling? Can't you just take us there?"

"Yeah, but I've never been to Miami. Do I look like the tanning sort to you? Besides, I can't materialize directly inside an Olympian's domain without their permission first."

I was getting impatient. "What about South Beach? Can you do South Beach, or would you like me to find you a map?"

Nico pouted a little as he grabbed my arm. "No need to be like that."

I sighed. "Sorry, just been one of those days."

Nico nodded as the shadows expanded around us. "Yeah, I've noticed you get those a lot…"

-A-

I would've thought it would be easier this time.

I mean, at least this time I wasn't _dying_. But it turns out the Hunters must've been practicing what I can only describe as anti-_me_ hunting techniques.

I was at least glad that this Artemis hadn't attempted to disable me like my mother had done Selene. Whether it was because I wasn't "impersonating" a Hunter or because some part of her was choosing to be careful now she knew who I was, I don't know. All I knew was that this wasn't turning out to be as easy an escape as I thought it would have been. Obviously they had been forced to chase Selene at some point in the past in order for them to be this familiar with my escape tactics.

There was something else, too; a tingling sensation in my lower back where Artemis had struck me with her power. It felt strange, almost familiar in a way. I focused on the spot and felt I could increase or decrease the feeling at will, as if it were some kind of extension of me. I decided to put it out of my mind, and effectively absorbed the sensation into myself, the tingle settling in my core at the same place I normally felt my power be drawn from when I called my bow. The feeling vanished as it settled inside my abdomen.

I cursed under my breath as I heard rustles in the undergrowth from my flanks in the distance.

_Wolves…She's summoning beasts to block me in_.

"Clever girl," I hissed as three arrows suddenly crisscrossed behind me, shooting past me and forcing me to hit the deck so as not to be struck in the shoulder. I jumped back to my feet and got moving again.

_They know how good I am…So they can hold back just enough to force me to slow down without killing me_.

Artemis herself had circled ahead. The wolves were to the sides and the Hunters to the rear. They had me encroached. I pictured the scene in my head and found a single route out.

_Bearing off 200 degrees; small gap between the wolves and the furthest trailing Hunter, best chance…_

I dug my heels in and skidded around, doubling back as quickly as possible.

-A-

I was confident I had slipped through their net when I sensed it; that lone Hunter on the edge of their line had curved away from the rest and was now in pursuit.

_One I can deal with._

As I entered a sunlit glade occupied by only one small tree in the center, I jumped around and landed facing my pursuer.

She had stopped, too. I could just see her, a small silhouette lurking amongst the green. I could hear her panting breath, and the wind carried a subtle scent of lavender on the breeze. I inhaled deeply.

_No, not lavender..._

Lavender and nightshade, an interesting combination. I summoned my bow and nocked an arrow as I caught the unmistakable glint of the Hunter's own trademark silver bow.

There was tense silence in the warm sunny enclosure as I watched the figure hold still like a shadowy panther waiting to strike.

_What's she hoping for? Surely she doesn't think she can keep me here all day?_

Then she loosed. My own hand was stayed when I realized she hadn't even _aimed_ at me. I glanced up as the arrow tore free of the tree canopy.

_What?_

Then the arrowhead exploded directly above me. Before I could even move, a lattice of ropes shot out in either direction and fell on me. They wrapped about me as if they had a mind of their own, intertwining about my limbs as they brought me, struggling, to my knees.

I tried to use the arrow in my hand to slice through the ropes, but it bounced clean off. Only then did I see the metallic threads woven into the ropes.

_Celestial bronze…clever._

I dismissed the arrow, fighting the tightening net, but I was bound tight. My bow was wedged under my arm, and my hands were bound against my legs. There was no way to reach my sword to cut the ropes.

_Assess! What else do you have?_

I slid a hand into my jeans pocket and grabbed hold of the contents: two drachma and a slice of ambrosia.

My fist clenched angrily around the coins as a figure melted out of the undergrowth, hunting dagger in hand and bow nowhere to be seen.

She strode calmly up to me as I glared at her, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Net arrows?" I snapped, "Since when do you have _net arrows?_"

She raised an eyebrow. "Since Lady Artemis had a child."

I blinked. "_Oh_…I'd be flattered if I weren't SO DAMN ANGRY right now!" I said, still struggling.

"The mistress wishes to clarify some points with you, and you would do well to listen. It disturbs me to say this to a boy…but, believe it or not, we mean you no harm."

"Yeah? Well, you have a funny way of showing it…" I trailed off as I eyed her, and suddenly I realized I recognized the Hunter; I had seen her once before, back at Alcatraz. She was the one with the short black hair that looked even younger than the rest, barely more than ten at best guess. I ignored the fact that she had bested me for the second as I fought to try and remember her name.

_Come on, It began with an…Hang on-_

"I don't even _know_ your name!" I said indignantly, as if it were her fault.

She frowned. "Why would you?"

I glanced off to the side. "Good point. So tell me…Umm, what _was _your name?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Very well…so tell me, Annoying Tiny One-"

"_Ari!_"

"See, wasn't so hard, now, was it? So tell me, Ari, did you come up with it?"

She glowered down at me, the light revealing the dark red highlight in her hair. "Come up with _what_?"

"Or was it an accident?"

"Was what?" she snapped.

I smiled. "That gap in your lines, with just one defender, was that intentional?"

She shrugged. "It was my idea. I figured it would be too much for Selene to resist if she saw it, and she'd go right for the gap."

"And you close in the net around her, in a very literal sense."

Her stare remained cold. "That's about it."

"I'm impressed; upset and irritated, but impressed nonetheless"

"_Thank you,_" she replied with a tense smile.

_I can beat her…Just get her closer…_

"So, Ari…"

"What?"

"Don't suppose you'd mind letting me out of here, would you?" I asked as pleasantly as possible.

"Do I need to dignify that with a response?"

I shrugged as best I could. "No, but I would rather you just let me go, because I don't really want to have to hurt you."

She dropped into a crouch and pressed the point of her dagger to my cheek. "And what exactly is it you think you can do from your current position?"

_Closer! You have to be touching her!_

I smiled. "That's just it; I don't know what's going to happen, so I'd suggest you let me go…for your sake."

Her smile was almost a snarl. "I think I'll take my chances."

"I don't suppose ordering you as the child of Artemis would help?"

"Don't get me wrong, I do have a _small_ amount of sympathy considering who you are, but I'm afraid not; orders are orders."

"Like I said, I really don't want to hurt you," I said calmly.

Now she was irritated. "You're beaten! Hunter and prey, boy! You were prey this time and you were caught, it's as simple as that! Or don't you know the basic rules of the hunt?" she asked, digging in the dagger slightly to emphasize her point.

I smiled sadly as I adjusted the two coins in my hand. "Ari, as a great man once said...Screw the rules, I have money." And with practiced precision, I flicked the first drachma up and hit her right between the eyes, leaned back and hit the other at the small of her elbow. She flinched in shock and her hand twitched sideways reflexively. I rolled over and sliced open the ropes with the exposed blade of her celestial bronze dagger.

My hand shot free of confinement.

_Do it NOW!_

I wasn't entirely sure what _it_ was, as my instincts took over and my body moved as if on autopilot. I felt the tingle in my chest emerge again, and this time it erupted free as my hand shot up and I hit the staggered Hunter square in the face.

There was a blinding explosion of silver-white light that filled my vision, and next thing I knew I was alone, the only thing remaining a hunting dagger embedded in the earth.

I rolled over and sat up, suddenly realizing that I wasn't _entirely _alone after all.

Sitting on its haunches and screeching up angrily at me…was a small guinea pig.

_Oh, no freaking' way…_

I stared at the furry critter for a moment and did the only thing I could; I shrugged. "Umm...Sorry?" I said. As I moved to push myself up, the entire world began swimming around me. I felt like someone had mixed a couple of pounds of lead in with my blood.

I staggered on my knees and collapsed face-first into the earth. "Okay…" I muttered into the grass, "That probably wasn't such a good idea…stupid instinct."

_Hey, I dealt with her, didn't I?_

I grumbled a curse. I didn't have an ounce of strength left in my body, every drop of stamina used up with that one exertion of power.

I moaned one last expletive as I blacked out.

-A-

_Wake up!_

My gut dragged me forcibly back to the waking world. Something was gnawing on my ear, and I wasn't entirely sure how long I'd been out.

I rolled over and reached up to detach the guinea pig that had been chewing on my left ear. "Please stop that, it's very annoying," I mumbled. I idly sensed the Hunters circling in to close off the area, Lady Artemis detaching herself from the group and moving in alone.

I drew on every ounce of strength I had to hand to pull myself to my feet, grasping Ari's dagger in one hand and holding the struggling furry rodent in the other.

I swayed on my feet; the world was spinning about me as Artemis emerged from the forest in front of me.

_Stupid Artemis…wouldn't look so tough if there weren't three of her right now!_

I leveled my head with all the composure of an exceptionally inebriated walrus. "Okay…Okay okay okay okay okay _OKAY_! _Nobody move!_" I stammered, wobbling slightly and swinging the dagger up to my left hand. "…Or the guinea pig gets it!"

Then I was unconscious again, my instinct sending me one last parting pleasantry as I collapsed.

_Worst…Threat...Ever…_

_to be continued..._

-XA-

[A/N] I'll simply catch you all again when the next beta chapter is uploaded.

See you in Chapter 7: Uncomfortable Companionship


	7. Chapter 7: Uncomfortable Companionship

[A/N] I'll be swift and apologise for any delays in my reuploading of the beta version, so I hope there wasn't too much of a gap.

As I said, perspective rules remain.

**Counterpart**

**Chapter 7: Uncomfortable Companionship**

**Chapter 7: Uncomfortable Companionship**

_I'm tied to a tree again, aren't I?_

This was my first thought as I regained consciousness in an upright position with an annoying crick in my back.

I opened my right eye a slit and spied the celestial bronze-entwined ropes around my waist.

_Yup, tree._

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever awaken," Artemis' voice suddenly said in a mildly conversational tone from somewhere ahead of me. "You've been unconscious for several hours."

I didn't open my eyes as I answered, "I guessed. My back is _killing _me_._"

I stretched myself upwards as much as I could in my confinement, my back letting out a satisfying crack as I straightened up. I sighed pleasantly. "Ahhhh, that's the stuff." I opened my eyes, adjusting to the light, and glancing about with a smile. "So…You got me, eh?"

Artemis crossed her arms. "Strictly speaking, you got yourself. Before we begin, tell me; what exactly did you do?" she enquired curiously.

I yawned. "Something I really shouldn't have. To be fair, though, all I really did was a delayed rebound of your own attack. Looks like I used a bit too much oomph, though." I spied a certain black-haired girl sitting with her hands around her knees and glaring at me. "Why, Ari, welcome back to the world of the bipeds. Something wrong? You look mildly upset with me."

"_Upset?_" she gasped. "_You turned me into a hamster!_"

"I did _not_ turn you into a hamster!" I snapped, then muttered, "It was a guinea pig…"

She hissed angrily, looking like she was about to pounce. Artemis raised a hand, and the girl reluctantly settled down. The experience had obviously shaken her; she was trembling slightly, her face occasionally twitching.

I turned my attention back to Artemis. "What's up with her?"

She glanced at Ari for a second. "After-effects; she will recover in time. Your transformation was crude and brutal, but still easily reversible."

I actually found myself insulted. "Hey! All I did was bounce off the power _you_ hit me with!"

"Hardly. After all, I didn't even attempt to turn _you_ into a guinea pig."

"Oh, yeah? What were you aiming for, then?"

"A field mouse," she said with a shrug.

"Field mouse? Well…I was close."

"And you didn't rebound it, you _duplicated_ it; very badly, I might add."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh _great_; so I can turn people into small furry animals at the cost of almost killing myself in the process. Yay me," I grumbled sarcastically.

Artemis raised an eyebrow."You disrespect my power?"

"Oh, stop trying to provoke a confrontation; I'm not in the mood. The fact it happened at all is your fault."

Her brow twitched, and I could tell she was trying to contain her irritation. "I was upset."

"_You_ were upset? You lost a daughter, _I_ lost a universe."

She gritted her teeth. "You really are infuriating, has anyone ever said that to you before?"

I did my best to shrug. "You made me."

"I did not give birth to _you,_" she said in a very tense voice.

That actually stung, for some reason, and I found myself suddenly regarding my knees. "Of course…For a second there I actually forgot." I tried to say this with some humorous irony, and I doubt I succeeded.

I seemed to have given her pause, because when she spoke again her voice seemed to have lost some of its edge. "Why did you run?"

I smiled weakly, still admiring the stitching on my jeans. "First instinct. I had something to run _from_ and something to run _to_, so what else should I have done?"

I saw her shadow move in front of me, and she suddenly dropped into a crouch to meet my eyes. "What do you mean?"

I raised my head back up, the goddess following suit. "Apollo was going to try and destroy me if he succeeded in getting Selene back, so I listened to my survival instincts. Shame they let me down in the end."

_Hey!_

She shook her head. "That's not what I mean; you said you had something to run _to_, where were you going?"

My eyes narrowed at her. "That's none of your concern; just summon your oaf of a brother and have done with it."

She regarded me for a moment in silence. "Do you _want_ to die?"

A sad smile peaked at the edge of my mouth. "Funny, Apollo asked me the same thing once. Do you know what I said?"

She shook her head.

"I said no, but also that I'd never been very fond of being alive. Seems like a lifetime ago…"

She seemed interested for some reason. "And now?"

I looked into the distance. "_Now_ I don't even remember feeling that way, like I was someone else entirety just occupying the shell of myself. Now, although the world is more tiresome and exasperating than I could've possibly imagined it could've been, I've grown rather fond of it in a strange way. So in answer to your question; _no_, I have no intention of dying for Apollo or anyone else. There's too much riding on me right now for me to allow that to happen. So you'll excuse me while I sit here contemplating a method of escape," I said as I began glancing about at my surroundings and taking everything in. My eyes went back to the ropes around my waist.

She cocked an eyebrow up in that disbelieving, high-strung way of hers. "There's no escape, I'm afraid. Not this time."

"Incorrect. _Well,_ in a strictly technical sense, anyway," I said, staring at the ropes.

She frowned. "Oh?"

I nodded down. "The ropes"

"What about them?"

"Celestial bronze intertwined with regular threads-very nice, by the way."

"Thank you, now what point are you trying to make?"

I cocked my head. "Well, _technically_ I could just shuffle left and right and, since my tunic's composed of Kevlar threads, which have a higher density than the tree trunk, they won't absorb the force or friction as much. I could therefore utilize the celestial bronze threads in the rope to saw through the trunk of the tree I'm tied to and make my escape. Q.E.D."

She inclined her head. "Accepted, but you assume I'd just stand here and let you go."

"I said _technically_; whether I'd actually get away was another matter. Besides, I'd never do it to begin with."

"Because you know it'd be hopeless and that I'd simply stop you?"

I looked at her. "_No_, because I happen to like trees. Oddly, the feeling seems to be mutual…In one case especially."

She let out a tired sigh. "Are you going somewhere with this?"

I hummed in thought. "Not especially, but if wasting your time is the only weapon I have to hand, then I'll gladly use it. I can go on all day if you'd like. Would you like to hear my opinion on sparkling vampires next? I should warn you in advance, it may involve strong language."

"Enough!" Artemis snapped. "And vampires don't sparkle."

I sighed. "No, Artemis, they most certainly do not. But seriously, when will His Royal Rhyminess be gracing us with his presence? I assume he can't be too far behind."

"I would like to avoid calling my brother if I can avoid it," she said in a level tone.

"Yeah, why bother? After all, you are far more adept and practiced at destroying boys than he is."

She looked pained for a second. "You think so little of me?"

I shook my head. "No, I was just probing your reactions, but don't worry, I know you won't kill me."

She frowned. "And why might that be?"

I smiled sympathetically. "For the same reason my mother couldn't kill Selene when she found out who she was. Even the act of not interfering when Apollo tried to destroy Selene seemed to pain her. The reason being that killing me would be like killing her. It's got nothing to do with gender; you simply _cannot_ kill your own child, it goes against your very nature. True, I may not be _your_ child, but right now I'm the closest thing in all of creation you have to it."

"You sound sure of yourself."

I shrugged. "The world never ceases to bewilder me but, like Apollo, you're one of the very few things in the world I can be sure of. Since you can't kill me, nor can you change me into anything else, all you can do now is call for your brother to deal with me when the time comes."

"And I _said,_ I would like to avoid that if possible. Now answer my question," she demanded in a steely tone.

"And what question was that?" I enquired patronizingly.

"Where were you going?" she snapped irritably.

"Ahh yes, _that_. What makes you think I wasn't just running somewhere useless and random?"

Her response was one word, and an annoyingly good one. "Instinct."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, don't even get me started on instinct, but the answer is of little relevancy."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why might that be?"

I sighed tiredly. "Because, my Lady, I'm acting on gut feeling alone, and you know as well as I that the gods will not risk the future on the grounds of my hunch."

"A hunch?"

I inclined my head. "Correct. It's the best idea I have to hand, and if I know Selene, she's already implementing her part while I'm stuck yacking away here to you."

Her eyes narrowed; assessing me, I had to assume. "Show me," she said abruptly.

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Show me your idea, show it to me yourself, and then I will consider what it is I shall do with you."

_It's your best chance._

I knew that, of course, but I suddenly understood Selene's aversion to letting my mother in her head like this version of Artemis was asking now. It felt wrong, like forcing yourself to accept an impostor of something you hold dear, like touching something warm only to realize with shock it's freezing cold. Of course, I also knew I had no choice.

My eyes fell as I relaxed my mind. "Proceed."

It began as usual; a slight tingling sensation across the frontal cortex as she brushed the top layer of memories.

_An interesting idea…_

"I'm glad you approve," I muttered.

_But are you sure my daughter's mind works as yours?_

"I've fought her. Her instinct works like mine, but as for her mind, I couldn't tell you," I said, only realizing as I said it that whilst I was talking out loud, she wasn't.

_Then I shall just have to see._

"I don't under-" I was cut off as I suddenly felt that tingly sensation effectively grip onto my mind and plunge down into my thoughts like a deep-sea diver. I tensed at the force of the contact, my hands gripping the ropes tightly, "What…do you think…you're _doing_?"

_Interesting… So many parallels, so similar, yet so different._

"Stop…" I gasped as I felt her dredge up memories at certain points of my life. I numbly saw traces of similar images feeding back from her, but they were different; they weren't _my_ memories.

_Selene's memories? You're freakin' comparing notes? _I thought back as best I could, my teeth clenched together due to the pressure in my head.

A thousand images flooded through my mind as she pored over memories.

_I'm warning you…_

There was no response; I could sense only intrigue and curiosity as she continued, pushing deeper.

_I'm telling you to STOP!_

She focused on my interactions with Selene, but seemed to pore intensely over the ones involving me and her parallel self. As she reached for the memories of my mother and me, she poked deeper, going right to my centre.

_Don't go there…_

Then she reached it, the very core of my self. She hovered there, absorbing the feeling. I felt longing, longing for something she had lost, and then it happened.

She ever-so-slightly brushed out with her mind. Suddenly, from deep in that central place, something reared up, exploding out the darkness and grabbing hold of the invading force. The invading mind was forced upwards and out, in what I can only describe as the biggest mental face-palm in history, and along with the force came a voice; deep and powerful, radiating from the core of my being. It spoke one word, so deafeningly loud that I was shocked my head didn't split. One word:

_**OUT!**_

There was another flash of light, and the air around me was filled with a high-pitched scream. I opened my eyes to find Artemis on her knees, her hands clasped on her head as she let out a deafening wail of pain, her outline pulsing gold as she struggled to retain her corporeal form. The Hunters seemed torn; they all clearly wanted to rush to her side, but knew that if the goddess lost her concentration and reverted to her true form whilst they were close, they'd be utterly destroyed.

I half-expected to have a throbbing headache after that, but oddly enough I felt fine; a little dizzy, perhaps, but fine.

Artemis' scream trailed off into soft gasps as her body regained its solidity and Thalia risked rushing to her side. "Lady Artemis? Are you all right?" she asked, her voice full of panic.

"Fine…I'm fine, thank you," she said between breaths, pulling herself up and shaking her head.

She turned to face me. She didn't seem angry, however. She just stood there regarding me silently. What shocked me was the fact that she didn't seem at all surprised by what had happened.

"You knew that would happen, didn't you?"

She didn't respond to me, she simply glanced off to the side. "Let him go, Thalia."

"My lady?"

"Do as I say," she said quietly.

The daughter of Zeus nodded her head and approached me, slashing open the ropes with a swing of her dagger.

I didn't stand; I merely leaned back and clasped my hands in my lap. "Well?"

Her eyes seemed dazed, as if she had the Olympian equivalent of a migraine. "I wish to talk to you in private. Come with me." She turned and walked off, assuming I was going to follow blindly.

_But you _are_ going to follow blindly._

I sighed and stood up, stretched my aching muscles, and walked off after her, the Hunters watching in what I can only describe as a hostile silence.

-A-

"Did it hurt?" We had stopped on a sunlit trail in the forest a few moments walk away when I asked this.

"It did," she responded, not turning around.

"Forgive me if I'm not simply gushing sympathy," I said as I drummed my fingers on my elbow. "But, like I said, you knew that was going to happen, didn't you?"

She let out a breath and turned around. "Of course I did."

I nodded. "Okay, question two; what exactly _did_ happen?"

She seemed to hesitate. "It was your mother, _my_ counterpart."

I frowned. "I don't follow."

"When your mother repelled Aphrodite from you, she planted something inside you: a defense mechanism to prevent the bond within you being attacked again. I did the same thing with Selene."

"But if you knew it was there, why would you…" I paused mid-sentence when she suddenly averted her eyes, seeming pained once more.

"I lost my daughter…" she said, as if that summed everything up.

"So what? You tore through my mind to make yourself feel better? Give yourself an imaginary hug?"

"Be silent! I… I'm sorry for what I did."

I leaned back incredulously with my hands on my hips."Well ,rock me Amadeus, Lady Artemis apologizing to a mere _boy_, are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Her teeth were clenched as she glared at me. "I swear, if you continue to push me then I'll-"

"You'll _what?_" I growled in response.

She took several very long, calming breaths. It was an oddly human response. "I have already apologized, what more can I do?"

I bottled up my anger for now and decided to focus on the main issue at hand. "You want your daughter back?"

"Do you need to ask?"

"Then trust me. Let me try my plan. I'm assuming you know what it is."

She nodded. "I do. It is, as you believed, a long shot."

I took a breath. "I accept your apology, but did you really need to do what you did?"

She went silent for a moment. "Like I said, I lost my daughter. A small part of me felt what was within you may very well be the closest I will ever get to her again. I…overreacted. I also saw who you are. So similar, yet so different."

"You've seen both of us now. Can you tell she'd think the same thing as me? You, more than anyone, should know."

She seemed to hesitate, then answered, "It is as you believe. She would most likely be planning the same thing as you."

I nodded. "Then I have an appointment to keep, or will you be stopping me?"

She shook her head slightly. "No…I do not wish to see you destroyed. You are…too much like her for me to allow that to happen. You also protected her from my other self before she knew who Selene was, and then from Apollo. I owe you a debt of gratitude."

I inclined my head acceptingly. "So I can go?"

She nodded. "You need to get to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible. I would take you myself, but someone will need to keep Apollo…" she paused to exhale a sad breath. "…_occupied_ for a time."

Now I officially felt sorry for her. "Sorry."

She shook her head. "It is unavoidable. Come, we must return to the others."

I nodded and followed behind the small goddess.

-A-

Artemis gave a brief explanation to her Hunters. They were obedient enough that they most likely wouldn't have questioned my release in any case, but she still explained her feelings and motivations on the matter. I guess she felt they deserved that much, at least.

She then turned to me. "I will provide you with an escort to Camp Half-Blood."

I shook my head. "That's not necessary, I can look after myself."

"No," she objected firmly. "I feel there is too much to weigh upon the chance you do not get accosted en route. Two Hunters shall accompany you."

_Two plus me. All in threes, as usual._

She turned to her Huntresses. "Ari, you have had dealings with him in combat and you are aware of his pace and movement patterns. I request you go with him. I will not order you if you feel strongly opposed, but I would like it if you went."

Ari shook her head. "No, Lady Artemis, I'm honored you would put such faith in me."

Artemis smiled. "Thank you, Ari, and now for the other…" She turned back to the group, and suddenly a pang of worry went through me.

_Oh, gods, don't say it, don't say it, do not say-_

"Aren."

_Ah, crud…_

"You are one of our best long-range scouts. I would entrust you with this task, should you be willing."

The blonde bowed. "I am willing, Lady Artemis. We shall both do our best to bring Selene back to you."

She nodded. "I could ask no more, thank you both."

_Typical…Even in this universe Aren has to be so damn loyal. She still smells like apples, too, and she's as adorable as ev-_

I shook my head to halt my thought process before I began to sport a blush.

_Stupid alternate mother. Why do I get the feeling she did this on purpose?_

I sighed and walked to the edge of the clearing, pausing to get the feeling of the forest around me and get my bearings. "We're a good seventy-five miles from camp; I'd like to get moving as soon as possible."

"Of course. Aren, Ari, are you prepared?"

Both nodded and separated themselves from the group. Suddenly an amusing idea occurred to me. "Good luck with Apollo, Lady Artemis."

A look of distaste flashed over her childlike features. "Don't remind me…"

I smiled. "Oh, don't worry. If you _really_ want to keep him occupied as painlessly as possible, just use three mystical words."

She seemed to perk up, and I saw hope in her eyes. "Mystical words? What mystical words?"

"Just say _Team Edward sucks_, and that will do it."

Artemis blinked. "Come again?"

I nodded sagely. "Trust me; those three words will evoke from him a mood of calm, quiet discussion, involving comparison of deep, meaningful, emotional and sociological subjects of which he will speak calmly about for days and in a _totally_ non-ranting manner. I think you will find it most enjoyable."

She nodded in thought. "I see. I will try it…Thank you."

_Mwah hah hah!_

Now that we were even, I left my mother's counterpart behind and set off on my journey back to Camp Half-Blood.

-S-

"Can we _please_ walk in the shade?" Nico moaned as we strolled down the promenade alongside the beach. "I think I'm starting to cook here."

"Oh, stop complaining, you could use some sun. I've seen vampires take to a tan better than you!"

Nico grumbled and subtly tried to shuffle up the collar of his leather jacket to cover the back of his neck.

We walked in silence for a while. Then he finally spoke up. "So, the other me…"

"What about him?"

"You and me…that is, you and _him_-"

"Nico…" I interrupted with a sigh, "with all due respect, I'd really rather not discuss that subject right now."

"Sorry…"

"It's nothing; I'd just be as uncomfortable discussing my Nico with you as Armani would be discussing Aren with the version of her from my universe."

"What'dya mean? What do Armani and Aren have to do with anything?"

I shrugged. "You know; how the two of them are…y'know," I said, waving a hand as I walked.

Nico skidded to a halt a few steps back. "Hang on a tick."

I sighed and stopped. "What?"

"Armani? Auburn hair, two bangs, silver eyes, tends to annoy easily?"

I nodded.

"And Aren?"

I quirked up an eyebrow. "_Yes…_"

"Hunter, blonde, about yay high, short temper?"

I inclined my head. "Yeah…Tried to strangle you once-in my world, anyways…aaaaand it's suddenly occurring to me that Armani didn't share this piece of information with you, did he?"

Nico shook his head, a small smile peaking at the corner of his mouth. "Armani…and Aren, that's _classic_!" And then he was laughing.

"Nico, seriously, you can't let him know I told you!"

Nico waved off my concern. "Oh, don't worry, with any luck you'll be back in your own world soon anyway."

"You still won't tell him though, will you?"

"_No_, no, no, no, no, no… _never,_" he said, shaking his head emphatically.

I raised an eyebrow. "By no, do you mean yes?"

"…kind of…"

"Nico!"

"Oh, come on! I at least promise to keep the teasing down to a tasteful level."

I sighed. "I suppose that's the best I can hope for."

"Does Artemis know?"

I exhaled tiredly. "_Probably_. If she didn't preen the information from Armani, she's probably gotten it from Aren by now."

"I bet she wasn't too happy when she found out."

I shook my head. "You should've seen how my Artemis reacted when she realized all her Hunters had fallen for you."

He cringed. "Not well, I'm guessing?"

"Let's just say it involved her wolves and a certain part of your body."

He gulped. "Did I…escape?"

I shook my head. "I managed to convince her that taking it out on you wouldn't help and that you were just as much a victim as the Hunters were."

"Thanks, on behalf of other me."

I smiled. "Well, you looked so helpless! I had to do _something._"

He frowned. "I'm never helpless!"

"Oh? Well, you see, then she found out about you and me. She took a precautionary measure on that one."

He looked nervous again. "What kind of _precautionary measure_?"

"She turned you into a newt."

"A _newt_?"

"You got better."

Nico shook his head and strode ahead. "I'm really starting to see how blessed I am to be single."

My eye twitched as I sped up to keep pace. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing, nothing…"

-S-

It took a while to reach the main doors of the hotel, but it wasn't exactly difficult to miss. Its twin structure towered over the beach behind it.

Nico and I swerved around the fountain at the entrance, past the cars, and into the main reception area.

_And…now I feel conspicuous…_

It was true; we were both dramatically out of place. The five-star hotel was exactly as it was in my world. The reception area was just as classy, and its rooms were no doubt just as extortionately priced.

A porter and doorman eyed us suspiciously as we passed, but a pair of cold glares from the two of us had them swiftly pretending we didn't exist.

"Oh, thank the gods for air conditioning," Nico sighed as he tugged on the collar of his jacket, mopping a sheen of sweat from his brow.

I couldn't help but notice a few of the other guests were shooting us glances. From their suits and designer wear, they no doubt considered themselves the top rung of society. I couldn't help but think that they'd be slightly more respectful if they knew who we were. We were hardly dressed like children of the gods, however; my blouse and jeans were marked and worn from the exertion I had been through lately, and Nico's greasy hair and dark appearance seemed to stick out like a sore thumb wherever he went.

He held his head high and proud like his father did, though, effectively looking down on everyone around him as we approached the main reception desk.

Behind the pricey-looking piece of carved wood sat a short man with curly blonde hair. He wore a pristine white shirt and matching trousers. His overly large pursed lips were twisted with irritation, and he appeared to be in the midst of figuring out a crossword.

He spared us a second's glance with his unnaturally large blue eyes, then went back to his puzzle. "Reservation?" he asked.

At first glance, you'd think the small man was your standard-grade unhelpful receptionist, but if you were able to see through the Mist you'd be able to see the small pair of pearl-white wings sprouting from his upper back and twitching irritably.

I smiled politely. "Good day, Eros, is your mommy home?"

His pen froze in the middle of writing an answer. His eyes slowly came back up to us. "Sorry, I don't follow." He immediately went back to his puzzle.

Nico grumbled and plunged a hand into his pocket. He drew it out and slammed it loudly on the counter.

Eros flinched, his pen tearing through the paper and his wings beating angrily behind him.

Nico pulled his hand back to reveal a pile of golden drachma (and a small silver statue of what appeared to be my mother, which he snatched back quickly).

_Wow, Nico's loaded. I guess Hades provides well. _

Eros looked angry, but I could see the golden glint of the drachmas in his eyes. He was both upset and tempted. "Is there something I can do for you?" he asked, glancing between us and the coins.

I inclined my head. "We'd like to get into the honeymoon suite, if you please."

He glanced between us. "Spending the night?"

We both blanched at the same time, and I could feel my cheeks burning. "_No_! We just need to…take a look inside, is all."

He looked nervously between the coins and us. "_Look_, I can't just let you in, she isn't even _here_ right now!" he whispered conspiratorially under his voice.

"We don't need you to let us in, just open the elevator and turn around for fifteen seconds."

His eyes flicked between the elevator and the coins. His hand engulfed them and slid the pile into a bowl sitting behind the desk. "Just make it quick," he muttered. He swung around with his paper on his knee, pen in hand. He clicked the top and the elevator _ding_ed open behind the desk.

Nico and I walked calmly into the box and allowed the doors to close behind us. "How did you know you could pay him off?" I asked Nico as he began examining the buttons.

He shrugged. "He reminded me of Charon. I guessed one thing that minor gods and minions have in common is how badly they're paid, even if it is by their own parents. Top floor, is it?"

I shook my head. "Look closer."

Nico squinted. Concealed behind an extremely thick layer of Mist above the rows of plastic square buttons was another: a pink, plastic heart-shaped button was embedded in the wood above the rest.

"Tacky but effective, I guess," Nico commented, and pushed the button. There was a jingle, the button glowed, and a small wisp of sparkling pink smoke was released. "_Very_ tacky."

"You expected subtlety from Aphrodite?" I asked as the elevator rose to the concealed top floor.

-S-

We emerged together half a moment later. There was single pair of large wooden doors outside the elevator. Above it was a large, silver, six-petalled flower inside a circle, the symbol of Aphrodite.

Nico approached the sturdy door and glanced back at me. "Should we knock?"

"Hardly necessary," I said, approaching the golden card reader above the handle.

Nico regarded it. "That's probably booby trapped. If the Aphrodite campers are anything to go by, there could be a vicious surprise waiting if you try to mess with that."

I shook my head. "I wouldn't worry. I have no intention of busting my way in," I said as I reached into my back pocket and withdrew a pink swipe card with a large red heart printed on it.

Nico's jaw dropped as I inserted the card into the slot and the small red light turned green, unlocking the door. "When in the heck did you swipe that?"

"I got it from Eros."

Now he looked confused. "B-but I was with you the whole time!"

I smiled. "It wasn't _that_ Eros I took it from, it was mine."

Nico nodded. "I gotcha. So it works in both worlds, since it's pretty much the same door."

"Technically, yes."

"So, what? Did you bribe him too, or did you pickpocket him or something?"

"No need; he wasn't in a very resisting mood at the time. Being beaten over the head with your own quiver will do that to you."

-S-

It was exactly as I remembered it: a minimalist's nightmare. Padded pink and red furniture, and a mirror no matter where you looked. A pair of French doors concealed behind thin velvet curtains led the way onto the balcony.

On the opposite side of the room was a pair of doors leading to the master bedroom. "This way. It's right through here," I said, and began cautiously walking towards the bedroom with Nico at my side.

Anger and irritation at the situation suddenly surged through me, as well as the sudden urge to break something and hurt someone to make myself fell better.

There was a deafening slam from behind me and I reflexively whirled around, pulling my sword free in the process.

There was a man sitting in one of the chairs. He had been concealed behind the door when we came in; his foot was extended from where he had kicked it closed. Behind him, in the shadows, stood a woman I didn't recognize, with jet black hair and dark eyes, who was observing us with a small smile.

A malicious smirk spread across the man's face as he adjusted his sunglasses. "Well, well, well, kiddies," Ares began, standing up and drawing a sawn-off shotgun from the umbrella holder beside his chair. "…Just what can I do for you?"

-A-

We had to stop; I did, anyway. I hadn't been fully rested after that earlier stunt with the guinea pig, and now it was starting to show. Thankfully, I had been outrunning my companions, so when I paused to rest and Aren finally caught up, she was looking breathless as well.

"Are we stopping?" Aren asked, panting slightly as she emerged into the clearing to find me sitting on a tree stump.

"Just for a minute," I said in as level a tone I could.

She leaned forward and grasped her knees to recoup slightly. She glanced up at me, and her green eyes seemed a lot colder than I remembered. "You're exhausted; you're burning yourself out running like that."

I glared at her irritably. "I don't have time for any R&R, Aren. In case you missed the briefing, this mission's on a tight schedule."

"But if you don't get there at all it'll be for nothing," she retorted

"Don't tell me how to pace myself," I responded tersely.

"I've been at this a lot longer than you, _boy_, and if you're too stubborn to realize that then…Hmph, I guess it wouldn't be surprising at all!"

I rolled my eyes. "Spare me the superiority lecture; I'm well aware of how long you've been _at this._ To be honest, I have little interest in hearing you brag about how you've been around since the late seventeenth century."

She went silent for a moment. "How do you know about that?"

I sighed. "You told me. You're over two hundred years old; it isn't hard to do the math. Must've been around the time the gods migrated to America. Just out of curiosity, was it before or after for you?"

She frowned. "Was _what_?"

"Did you join the Hunters before Artemis came to the States or after?"

"Why should I tell you?"

I shrugged. "You said I needed to pace myself. Think of it as keeping my attention long enough to allow me to recuperate."

She screwed her face into a pout, but answered, "_After_. I came to America when I was seven; my parents and I moved here from Ireland, and when-"

She paused as Ari emerged from the forest, also out of breath. "So, caught up with him, did you?"

Aren nodded. "Taking a quick break. We're almost halfway there, so I feel it's okay."

Ari nodded and sat down on a nearby rock to take a breather.

I closed my eyes to shut out the world and the uncomfortable silence around me. "So…" Ari spoke up, "…Do you really think this plan of yours will work?"

I smiled ironically. "To be tactful or honest?" I mused out loud. "I'll go with tact; Artemis believes there's a chance, should that not be enough for you?"

I opened my eyes to find Ari glaring right at me. "I asked what _you_ think."

I stared back silently for a moment, and then pushed myself to my feet. "Enough talk, let's keep moving."

"Oh, come now…" A female voice suddenly sounded from behind me. Both Ari and Aren drew their daggers on reflex and my hand shot to my sword as I spun toward the sound. "Surely you can stay for a little while longer. After all, why such a rush?"

A woman in a black satin dress, lying relaxed in the branches of a nearby tree, was looking down at us with an amused smile. She had long, flowing, jet-black hair and eyes that seemed equally dark. Her gaze was piercing, and somehow radiated a form of twisted amusement. "Who are you?" I asked, my hand gripping my sword hilt tightly.

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't you know? Am I so unimportant that you cannot even _guess_, little half-blood?"

_Careful…be very careful._

I spared a glance back at the Hunters, who were looking up almost fearfully at the woman.

"Aren, who is she?"

She took a second to answer, as if afraid of admitting it. "It's… Eris."

My head snapped back round to the woman, whose smile had widened. "…Goddess of Discord," I breathed.

Her smile remained in place as she slid down out of the tree and began slowly advancing on me. "And so at last we meet…Child of Artemis."

_to be continued..._

-XA-

[A/N] As I said I'll get the remaining few chapters up as soon as I can.

See you all in Chapter 8: Chaos and Entropy.


	8. Chapter 8: Chaos and Entropy

[A/N] I thank you all for sticking with me thus far, only a few chapters to go. I admire you for your endurance, now let us recommence!

**Counterpart**

**Chapter 8: Chaos and Entropy**

I had drawn my sword and aimed its point at her throat before she could get within arm's distance.

Eris halted and raised her hands defensively. "Oh, come now, is that any way to treat a goddess? Where are your manners, young man?"

I didn't budge. "Sorry, but they're in another universe right now, so if you'll kindly step aside I'll go fetch them and then we can talk."

She raised a pale, slender hand and extended her palm at me. There was a rippling in the air. It struck me head-on and I found myself being dragged to my knees, my arms behind me as if bound by invisible ropes, my sword clattering to the ground nearby.

I glared up defiantly at her as I struggled in vain against the invisible force. "There, much better. Now, young man, let's talk."

"You have my _undivided _attention." I snarled and glanced over at my companion. "Aren!"

The blonde girl drew her dagger. "Step aside, Lady Eris."

The goddess sighed and waved her hand. There was a cry of protest, and a second later Aren found herself in the same position as me.

She turned to Ari. "And you, my dear? Would you turn your blade on me as well?"

The Huntress hesitated, but she steeled herself after a second. "My allegiance lies with Lady Artemis, mother. I don't want to fight you, so please…get out of the way," she said, gripping the hilt of her dagger tightly.

"Hang on a tic. She's your _mom_?" I asked, glancing between the two.

I looked to Eris and saw that the humor had drained from the goddess' face. Her dark eyes burned into her daughter with undisguised anger. I was dubious as to Ari's ability to take her mother in one-on-one combat, so I did the only thing I could: I submitted. "What is it you want, Lady Eris?" I asked reluctantly.

She turned her attention back to me and her smile returned. "That's the spirit. See, dear? At least _he's_ got some brains. Yours, however, seem so restricted to petty pranks and childish games that it causes me true despair. The thought of one of my children being so…_inept…_"

Rage and pain flashed over the Huntress' face, and she tore her dagger free. "I'm on a mission, mother, and I won't let it be delayed just so you can play one of _your_ games."

A condescending smile spread across the goddess' features. "Oh you poor, silly thing. Don't you realize? You've _all _been playing my game for quite some time now."

Ari froze, confusion written plainly on her features.

"But regardless…" The goddess, patience obviously worn, extended her hand at her daughter and sent her flying back through the air until she was flat on her back, obviously restrained by the same force that held myself and Aren.

I saw an opportunity in what had just happened, so before the Huntress could begin struggling I spoke up. "Ari…" I began calmly, "…That's enough, let her talk."

Eris inclined her head and flashed me a sickly sweet smile that reminded me scarily of Aphrodite. "All right then. But before I begin, do you know what I like? Action movies."

I frowned. "Umm, good for you?"

She dropped onto her haunches in front of me and ran a musing finger along her chin. "You know what bit I like _best_? The part where the villain reveals his intricate plot to the captive heroes since it's too late for them to actually do anything about it."

I raised an eyebrow. "You are aware that it usually backfires quite badly for the antagonist involved?"

She nodded musingly. "_Yes_, but it just truly captures the essence of a well-laid plan, and I always feel sympathy when such a perfect game is destroyed simply because everyone else would be inconvenienced if it were successful. It's selfish, really."

"Hang on. Are you saying when the evil villain melts the icecaps with his giant laser and floods the world, killing billions, it's just a _minor inconvenience_?"

"It's the journey that counts, not the destination."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you going somewhere with this? You're obviously using this as a metaphor for some long-winded expositional onslaught you're about to rattle off, so why don't you stop wasting my time and just tell us what it is you've done."

Her smile gave way for annoyance as she grabbed my chin and brought me face to face with her. "You really should be more respectful towards me, little half-blood. I would've thought I might just get a _tad_ of gratitude from you, all things considering."

I smiled pleasantly. "Oh really? And what exactly might I have to be grateful for?"

She smirked. "For one thing, being alive."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to thank you for _not_ killing me?"

She shook her head, her waist-length hair fluttering at the action. "You really don't get it, but you will soon, and then everything will become perfectly clear."

I groaned. "Alright, you've peaked my curiosity over my irritation, proceed."

She stood up and leaned backwards against a tree, looking down into my eyes. "You know who I am, don't you?"

I inclined my head. "Eris, Goddess of Discord. You're the embodiment of chaos, jealousy, resentment and upheaval."

She raised finger. "_No_. Those may be associated with me, but no. I facilitate _change_ in the world. I make a man jealous of his neighbor's crops to make him try and work harder on his own. I make a man resent how well his friend treats his wife to make him treat his own better to match. I simply shake things up a little to allow things to grow."

"You are, of course, ignoring the flip side of the coin."

She waved her hand drearily. "Oh, I may inadvertently spark the occasional war here and there, but then it's all in human nature to fight each other."

I rolled my eyes. "Did you stop me just to have a theological debate, or is this actually going somewhere?"

She pouted. "Oh, come now, the buildup's all part of the fun! So you know who I am. Therefore, you must also know why I'm so interested in you_._"

"I'm afraid I don't follow," I said with a frown.

That condescending smile reappeared, and she crouched down again. "Oh, _come_, little one. Isn't the reason I'm here obvious? You are, after all…" She paused to run a finger down my cheek and finished in a pleasured whisper, "….My masterpiece."

My eyes widened at the phrase. "What are you talking about?"

As if not hearing me, she continued her admiration. "Oh, but my counterpart really _did_ get one up on me with you. To have made you a _boy_ on top of everything else…splendid, I must say."

I was starting to get angry. "_Enough_! If you've got something to say, just say it!"

"Don't you see, little one, just how special you are to me? Or did you think Midas escaped from the Fields of Punishment unaided with _just_ the lord of time's pretty little magic words to aid him? Didn't you ever stop to wonder how a disembodied mind could _possibly_ get the power required to pull something like that off?"

I couldn't be sure, but I was almost certain the color was draining quickly from my face. "What are you talking about?" I whispered after a moment.

She kept on smiling. "The Titan lord called for my help. I may have been manipulated, this much I will admit, but he _did_ allow me to be the one to choose the outcome of his little test, and I took full advantage of that opportunity."

"Meaning _what_?"

Her smile widened a fraction. "He may have been the one who wanted to test his power, but it was _I_ who chose the shape that test would take. He had picked up some lovely tricks down in that pit, but it still needed someone to provide the power to perform them."

"You? _You_ helped Kronos?" I gaped at her.

"Not just that, little half-blood. It was _I_ who gave Midas the idea for his little spat of vengeance."

I fought to find some words, but what she was implying had shocked me into silence.

"So, now you start to see, do you? That's right, my precious little Dove. You're only _here_ because the Eris in your universe had you _made._"

Ari spoke up, probably noticing I was too stunned to speak. "Why? Why would you go through all the trouble of having Selene made in this world, then? What was the point in it?"

Eris turned to regard her daughter. "Isn't it obvious, Ari? The birth of a child of Artemis, the goddess who supposedly should never have children? A child who was then left with Apollo, the twin and almost mirror opposite of the Goddess of the Hunt? A child who was flawed and dying from the day he, or she, was born?"

"Discord," I said, finding my voice. "But don't expect me to believe it. Apollo was keeping me hidden since I was a child; it's a miracle I'm even alive today. There's no way you could've known Apollo would've kept healing me, or that my mother would save me."

Eris scoffed. "Oh, _please_. That blonde buffoon is as predictable as he is annoying. And as for Artemis, did you really think li'l momma bear would let her one and only cub slip off into oblivion? It was clear that she would find out about you sooner or later. The discord between the siblings caused by Apollo hiding you was nice. And then Artemis heals you and you make your way out into the world. And that's where the fun _really _began," she said, delight in her voice.

"I don't believe you could have _possibly_ have seen that coming!" I said with a snarl.

She shook her head. "Poor boy. Don't you see? You are an _avatar_ of chaos, and I am the only one who can see the patterns in true chaos and where they lead. Even Apollo can only prophesize about things that are clear-cut."

"I'm an…_Avatar_ of chaos?" I echoed numbly.

She nodded. "Don't you see the threads of discord you create? First it was between yourself and Artemis, which spread to Artemis and Apollo. Then there was your existence and the gods as a whole, throwing them into disagreement and disarray. You and Mr. Di Angelo lead to the chaos with the shades. That in turn led to Artemis attacking Aphrodite. All of _that_ led to Apollo's retribution against Hades. And let's not forget what Selene's mere _presence_ did to the Hunters in the aftermath of Aphrodite's attack on her. And, of course, your own effect on poor little miss McNamara."

I frowned. "You can't honestly expect me to…Hang on, miss _who_ now?"

"_Me,_" Aren grunted angrily from my side, still struggling against her bonds.

"Really?" I asked her, ignoring Eris for a second.

She rolled her eyes. "_Yes._"

"Excuse me…" The goddess said.

"Your name's Aren McNamara?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I'm not finished talking…"

"Nothing. It's a nice name, I like it."

"I'm so _glad_ to have your approval."

"Umm…"

"I'm just _saying_-"

"ENOUGH!" Eris roared. A gust of cold wind blew through the area at her rage. "I'm here talking about the very reason for your _birth,_ and you're prattling on to your stupid girlfriend!"

"What did you call me?" Aren snapped indignantly.

"Sorry Eris; totally forgot you were there." I said, intentionally rubbing her the wrong way.

She took a deep breath, and I could all but see her counting to ten in her head. "_Right_…Where was I?"

"You were bragging about how I tend to cause trouble wherever I go and you were taking all the credit for it."

"Of course. And then we get the supreme moment, where everything at last falls into place…You encounter a mirror. _Both_ of you encounter a mirror."

"But those belonged to Aphrodite," objected Aren, who had given up struggling against the invisible force.

"And did you _really_ think they would just so happen to end up linking two worlds together in the very same instant both ended up breaking, causing a link-way between them? And poor Selene just _happened_ to get that shard buried in her gut? You think all of this was just _bad luck_?"

"You interfered with the mirrors?" asked Aren.

The goddess shrugged. "Oh, I wouldn't say _interfered_, more aimed in the right direction; the same with that flying shard of mirror that got stuck in Selene."

I glowered at her angrily. "But do you have _any __idea_ what's been going on because of that? The breach that was…" I suddenly paused dead as it hit me. Nico's words echoed in my ears:

"_Chaos… A physical manifestation of it."_

"That's what you were after; you _wanted_ to create that tear in the fabric of reality."

She smiled brightly and clapped her hands. "Well _done,_ little one!"

"And with Selene in the wrong world, every step she took, every breath she breathed eroded the fabric of space and made the breach worse on both sides."

She nodded. "And both worlds began pulling closer together, fighting to expel what shouldn't be there on one side and pull back what was lost on the other. I'll admit that your being pulled through here was a minor setback, but eventually the outcome will be the same. In fact, this way it'll have a much more _explosive_ end when the time comes," the goddess said, giggling with delight.

"You can't do this, mother!" Ari snapped. "Chaos for the sake of chaos; that makes no sense! There's neither reason nor rhyme, so what's the point to all this?"

Eris regarded her daughter with a sickening look of pity. "Oh, you poor girl, don't you see? Poseidon may drown innocent sailors in the ocean, Aphrodite may let scum find happiness in love, Nemesis may judge those who probably should be given leniency, and I-"

I cut in, "And you would cause change, even if the final outcome of that discord was absolute destruction."

"We all have our places in the world, as objectionable as they may seem to others. At last you are beginning to see the truth, my precious avatar."

"Stop calling me that!"

She shook her head. "But that's all you were; a pebble tossed into a pond, cascading and rebounding off the banks until it creates a wave, which in turn causes a flood. You and your counterpart are the instruments of our ultimate discord."

"_Our_? You mean you and your counterpart…The other Eris that exists in my world."

She nodded. "And as I said, she really did one-up me when she made her avatar a boy. I'm almost jealous."

"So, what? You're just going to hold me here until the breach gets ripped open and the worlds collide? Do you really think the other gods will just sit around while that happens?"

"Pfft, they're as clueless as your oaf of an uncle as to what's going on."

"And what about you? This is practically suicide, even for a goddess!" Aren demanded.

"This world will soon be nothing _but_ chaos; do you really think that would destroy me?"

I rolled over, growling angrily at the bonds that held me. "Ari? No offense, but your mom's a psychopathic female dog."

"None taken…umm, _female dog_?"

"I try to avoid swearing unless absolutely-" I was sharply reminded of whose presence I was in when Eris kicked me square in the jaw with her stiletto-heeled shoe.

"You know, for someone about to fulfill the reason for their very existence, you're being _very_ unkind. I'm only doing my job here, you know!"

I spat out the blood that had pooled in my mouth. "And what about your children?" I asked, glancing at Ari. "You think a half-blood could exist in such a reality?"

She spared her daughter a glance, and I saw something in her eyes. Just for a second, it was as if she wavered in her resolve. "Like I said…As soon as I saw the opportunity, I had to take it. I knew where this path would eventually lead, but I cannot help being who I am."

"Is that why you joined Kronos?" I asked suddenly. A suspicion had flared through me, sparked by her reaction to her daughter for just that split second.

The goddess flinched at the name and backed up a step. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I was a little game your counterpart started and couldn't stop. Apollo knew he had to destroy Selene, though he didn't _want _to. And I'm starting to think this 'psycho-apocalyptic goddess façade' is just that… A façade."

Eris' teeth clenched. "Shut up…"

"Did you join Kronos because you wanted power, or because you wanted him to win so you'd have someone to _stop you _in the end?"

"I said be quiet…"

"The only reason you'd have to be here to stop me now was if you _hadn't_ already destroyed the mirror in Camp Half-Blood yourself, the _one_ thing that could stop me!"

"BE QUIET!" she roared and kicked me in the side, skidding me across the grass. I used the momentum to swing about and sit up.

I ignored the pain in my side and carried right on. "You might have had Selene created for a little bit of chaos and fun, but I don't think you're nearly as obsessed as you're saying. If anything, I'd say you were only giving lip-service to the notion. Since the ultimate proof that you're sabotaging your own efforts, the proof that you're _still _trying to stop yourself, is right here in front of you!"

"How dare you! I am _going_ to succeed and by Hades there's not a damn thing you can do to stop me!" she practically screeched, her fingernails digging into her own palms with such pressure I could see golden blood dripping.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Is that so? Well, if you have such _marvelous_ control over events, you wouldn't have allowed the _one_ person who could possibly stop you to have joined this little trio in the first place!"

"What?"

A small smile tugged on my lips. "See, Eris, I recently learned that half-bloods have a natural resistance to their own parent's power. Now, can you see where I'm going with this?"

The goddess' eyes widened, and she swung about just in time to see Ari unleash an arrow in her direction. She raised her hand to stop it, but the bolt exploded in midair into a lattice of celestial bonze ropes that ensnared the goddess and brought her to the ground.

The force holding me abated as the celestial bronze sealed the goddess' powers.

"Run!" I shouted, jumping to my feet.

"How dare you treat me like this? I am an Olympian goddess!"

"You're a _loony_!" I shouted, not looking back.

Aren didn't question me, and neither did Ari as we escaped into the forest, Eris' enraged cries echoing through the air behind us.

-A-

"What was up with her?" Aren demanded as we dashed through the gaps in the trees.

"What do you mean?" I called back.

"Did she want to destroy everything or didn't she?"

I went silent to lull it over for a second. Ari was the one who spoke, her voice quite solemn. "Discord within discord…"

"What'd you mean, Ari?" The blonde enquired.

The shorter girl didn't reply. "I think she means that Eris is the goddess of discord, and although it's her place to do her best to cause it, she was experiencing conflict at what she was doing. How about that, huh?"

"I guess she is a psycho, then," muttered Aren.

I frowned. "No, I think it's very fitting. It's the same as how Apollo is obsessed with music, my mother herself is a Hunter, Athena is wise and Ares is obsessed with fighting. Eris, the goddess of Discord, is awash with discord herself."

"So…Not psychotic, just really unpredictable?"

I inclined my head. "Pretty much."

"I feel sorry for her sometimes…" Ari suddenly mumbled.

I didn't comment. I supposed being an entity that was the embodiment of causing upheaval whilst being at war about even _wanting_ to do it would be a pretty traumatizing existence.

I put the thoughts out of my head for now. "We need to hurry. That little pit stop has cost us time we really don't have," I said. "And I'm worried about Selene."

"Why?"enquired Aren.

"I get the feeling that if both children of Artemis are attempting to move on the same plan, then both Eris' will be moving to stop them."

"You mean the version of my mother from your world?" Ari asked.

"Yeah, and unless Selene's met up with the Hunters again, which I doubt, then it'll just be her and Nico to stand up against her. If Selene has to end up making a break for it, and only gets a split second opportunity to reach the mirror in Aphrodite's apartment, then I have to be ready for it."

"Then I suggest we stop chatting and start _moving,_" said Aren as she sped past me.

"Just so long as nothing else tries to stop us," said Ari as she matched pace.

I sighed. "Thanks for the jinx, Ari."

"Sorry."

-S-

_Meanwhile…._

I wish now that Ares had simply attacked us. Instead, I was treated to a most disturbing lecture by the shadowy woman behind him, who had revealed herself to be Eris, Goddess of Discord.

"Wait a sec, are you saying you _made_ Armani?" asked Nico, who was currently scratching his head with the pommel of his sword. He'd pretty much lost the plot halfway through and had settled on just glowering at the two deities across from us.

Eris sighed. "In a roundabout way, yes."

I eyed the two gods. "Okay, let's just say I accept this big sack of crazy you just unloaded on me, which I more than likely won't; tell me what _you're _getting out of all this, Ares."

The war god twirled his sword idly in his hand, watching the way the light reflected in the blade, and shrugged. "I don't know…I was just here at the time when this chick came in and said you were coming to break my lady's mirror. Now, I'm all for breaking things for fun, but having all that mess lying around in the bedroom might just get in the way of my _plans_ for later on, and I really can't have that."

Nico raised a finger. "Umm, she's trying to destroy the universe; you did catch that bit, didn't you?"

The war god just shrugged again in response. This led me to believe he either didn't understand Eris' words, or simply didn't believe a minor goddess could pull off the things she was claiming she could. Personally, I felt it was a combination of both.

I sighed. "Great, the universe is going to be destroyed because Ares wants to get laid." He smirked slightly in response as I analyzed the two deities.

_Ares fights head-on, so few surprises there, but I don't have a clue what tricks Eris has up her sleeves._

"So how about it?" Ares asked, swinging his sword down at Nico. Its point froze a millimeter from his forehead. "You didn't take up my offer to play last time we met, so how's about you help me work off my boredom this time around?"

Nico slid back away from the point of the sword, raising his own defensively but making no move to actually attack.

Ares scoffed. "Didn't think so…"

I ignored the god for the moment and turned my attention back to Eris, who was looking past us, towards the open bedroom doors, ignoring us and smiling at something I obviously couldn't see.

_We can't just stand here psyching each other out all day!_

My teeth clenched as I felt my body tense, and I used Ares' distraction with Nico to my advantage and bolted straight for the bedroom doors.

"Uh, uh, _uh,_ little girl," Eris' taunting voice spoke up from behind me, and I suddenly felt something like an invisible rope latch itself around my ankle and yank me violently through the air. I felt myself being flung back, hurtling headlong into a pink armchair. I bounced clear off it and rolled to a stop in the middle of the floor. I suddenly found that I was unable to get up; it was as if I were wrapped up in invisible ropes.

"Selene!" Nico called and rushed to my side. Suddenly there was a sound of something rushing through the air, and he was hit from the side by an invisible force. He landed heavily on the floor, his hands bound behind him by the same power that restrained me.

Nico cursed as he lashed about against the bonds.

"Damn it, Ares!" I shouted. "This isn't a game! Unless I get into that room soon, we're all _screwed!_ You've got to let us go."

The god sighed tiredly and polished the blade of his sword with the inside of his jacket. "Just let the crazy lady have her fun and pretend she can do this whole 'collapse of reality' thing. Honestly, you minor gods, we give you a cabin in a summer camp and you suddenly think you're _all that._"

Eris' eyebrow twitched, but showed no other signs of irritation. "Just wait here, children, it won't be long now. That is, assuming my counterpart has already reached the point of attempting to stop him, my avatar should be moving into position any second."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, my alternate self and I have been communing for quite some time now. How else do you think we've been coordinating this whole shebang? I'm guessing right now he's escaped or is about to escape from my other self, and is moving with all haste to Camp Half-Blood. If he acts as I know he will, then he should be reaching his mirror any time now."

"I don't get it; I thought you needed us to be _away_ from the mirrors to prevent us switching back to our proper worlds."

She inclined her head. "That would be true, very true, but what you don't see, and indeed what you won't see until the endgame is this…It only works one-way.".

Now I was baffled. "What the heck's that supposed to mean?"

A dark smile spread across her lips. "You'll see, my child, very soon. All you need to do is continue to play your part."

Nico rolled over. "Selene, I don't get it. What's she on about?" he whispered in my ear.

I shook my head. "I have no idea, but I know I _have_ to reach that mirror."

Nico frowned and whispered again, "I have an idea; you might only have a second, so you'll have to be ready."

I felt a worrying discomfort. "Nico…Whatever you're about to do-"

He cut me off by rolling over and glaring up at Ares. "So that's it, huh?"

Ares raised a single eyebrow in confusion. "So _what's_ it?"

"Afraid to take us on, so you're letting a minor goddess fight your battles foryou. Who would've thought you'd sink so low, Ares?"

"Nico…What are you _doing_?" I hissed into his ear as I saw the fires in Ares' eyes blaze behind his sunglasses.

I watched as he slowly bared his teeth. "Care to say that _again,_ little half-blood?"

Nico smirked in what I could only call a suicidal fashion. "What? That you're too afraid to fight us, or that you've become such a coward these days that you let minor goddesses defeat your enemies for you?"

I shuffled back as the god began to shake with rage, his grip tightening on his sword hilt. His fury built up until he let out a roar of anger and his broadsword's blade erupted into flames.

He snarled from behind clenched teeth, his flaming eyes regarding Nico. "Let them go…" he said through gritted teeth.

Eris blinked. "Come again?"

"I _said_, let. Them. _Go_. Little death-boy's about to get his wish granted."

The goddess rolled her eyes. "For Hades' sake, Ares, can't you see he's just-"

But Ares' patience with the goddess was obviously well and truly spent. With a cry of rage, he swung his flaming sword at Eris' head.

The goddess ducked for cover at the last second as the blade carried past the top of her head, slicing free some of her black hair and striking the wall with such force that he effectively ended up blowing off the entire side of the building with his sword.

The impact created a deafening explosion, debris flying everywhere and a cloud of dust filling the air.

_Aphrodite is gonna be ticked…_

Thankfully, the distraction had caused Eris to release us, and we both rolled backwards to a crouch and brought our weapons to the ready.

Light and heat streamed in from the outside. The entire wall on this floor had been effectively cleaved off, exposing the picturesque sea view. A shadowy silhouette could be seen striding through the debris, flames dancing along the blade he held.

Nico stood up. "_Go_! This is your chance."

I gaped at him. "You can't be serious! You can't possibly take him on your own; he'll tear you to pieces!"

He cocked his head and raised his Stygian blade. "No, I probably couldn't …"

Ares emerged from the smoke and stopped, regarding Nico as he stood ready. He had obviously worked off a bit of his frustration by taking it out on the architecture, and he now stood with the composure of a warrior prepared to duel. The god raised his own sword to prepare to strike, and his contemporary outfit shimmered and was replaced by Greek battle armor. "What's to say you and me _really_ have some fun?" he said with a manic smile and took a hand from his sword to snap his fingers.

Nico's own outfit shifted and changed until he was clad in the black armor that he normally wore for Capture the Flag at camp. Ares' smile widened. "Perfect, now we can have a nice fair fight, any objections?"

Nico cocked his head. "None…There _is_ something you should know, though, Lord Ares."

"And what might that be?"

"That by blowing off the wall you've violated the sanctity of Aphrodite's domain," Nico replied.

"So what? I'll make it up to her. Besides, she's never happier when she gets a chance to update her décor…My night of passion might be ruined, but since you're about to pay for that, I guess that's okay, too."

Nico shook his head. "That's not the point. What I meant was that since the sanctity has been removed it's classed as an open domain."

"So?"

"_So_, Ares, if it's not Aphrodite's domain any more, then my powers aren't restricted anymore."

Ares smirked. "Just the way I like it. Means you won't have anything to moan about when I carve you up."

Nico smirked right back. "I wouldn't be too happy just yet, Lord Ares. See, when someone threatens me and my friends, and then challenges me to open combat, it really makes me want to do _this…_" On that Nico turned his sword down and stabbed the point into the floor. Seconds later, out of the shadows, numerous decomposing figures dressed in Greek armor, their flesh shimmering beneath their helmets, labored into view, the blinding sun reflecting off their various rusted weapons and shields.

Ares glanced about as the undead took up positions to attack. "Impressive. This might actually be some fun after all!"

With a roar of triumph, Ares swung his sword in an arc, slicing three of the undead open at the waist as the others charged and Nico himself readied to attack.

"What are you _waiting_ for?" he suddenly snapped. "Go for it!"

I nodded and dashed for the bedroom as Nico and his zombie minions all charged Ares head-on.

-S-

I booted the door to Aphrodite's room open and ran for the mirror that made up the wall behind the heart-shaped bed.

_Behind!_

I unsheathed my sword and swung about just in time to block a long, elegant grey blade being wielded by Eris.

She smiled pleasantly as she pulled back, leveling her single-handed sword at me. Its silver hand guard glinted in the light, contrasting the dull gunmetal-grey of the blade. "Looks like I'm going to have to be a bit more forceful, then; shame, really."

I swung about and backhanded her sword; she blocked easily and swung under my guard. I jumped back just as her blade sliced open the hem of my top, skimming the skin. Then the oddest thing happened.

I tripped.

I staggered backwards, landed flat on my back, and Eris drove her sword down. I leapt up just as the blade sliced through my jeans and into the muscle at the back of my leg.

I cried out in pain and hopped out of arm's reach.

Eris smiled pleasantly as she twirled her sword in her hand. "Did you slip up there, Daughter of Artemis? If you do choose to fight me, then I feel it's only fair to warn you that when you do, anything that can happen _will_ happen—even something as ridiculous as a Hunter being so ungraceful as to lose their footing in combat."

I grasped my hand over the wound and glared at her. "Just what the hell are you after, Eris?"

She shrugged. "Just doing my best to cause discord and chaos; it's my _raison d'être,_ if you will."

I did my best to balance on both feet without tearing open the flesh at the back of my leg. Sheathing my sword, I summoned my bow and took aim at the goddess. "If that's so, then I've just got to do my best to _stop_ you."

Eris didn't react; she simply lowered her blade and flung a hand out at me.

_Oh, gods, not this aga-_

Even my thoughts were cut short as I felt her force wrap itself firmly around my throat and hoist me off the ground, my arrow loosing randomly in her direction.

I heard an indignant cry from Ares, and I got the distinct suspicion my arrow may have strayed.

_Oops…Wrong target._

My vision blurring, I did my best to look down at Eris, who was staring up at me with her arms folded. "Couldn't even do your job and reach the mirror…you're more of a disappointment than I thought."

I gritted my teeth and glared down at her. "Yeah?" I choked out. "Well, you're more convoluted than a _Star Wars prequel, _but you don't hear me - _ack! - _moaning about it!"

She scowled at me and picked up her sword. As she approached and prepared to strike, she hissed, "Well, it's not like you have to be in one _piece_ for this to succeed. I just have to make sure I keep you back from the brink. Tell me, how fond of your limbs are you?"

She was moving to swing when a bolt of silver light suddenly shot through the wall, blasting a hole, slamming square into Eris' back and sending her crumpling to her knees.

I dropped to the floor like a stone, choking for air, as Eris collapsed in agony.

The bolt of light had blown square through the corner of the room, meaning that what was once Aphrodite's penthouse was now more like a top-floor balcony. As I watched, the remainder of the wall, along with one of the doors, collapsed inwards, revealing the main area of the apartment and the exposed skyline.

I looked into the main room. Nico was pinned to the ground with Ares' sword tip buried an inch from his head. The war god himself was cursing madly whilst clutching at a golden arrow embedded in his right shoulder blade, my own stray silver arrow laying discarded on the floor and snapped in two.

Nico pulled himself out from under Ares and ran to my side. I noticed that even as he ran, his eyes were locked firmly on something outside the gaping hole in the wall.

I followed his gaze, and the sight that greeted me almost made me collapse from both shock and relief.

A red sports car was hanging suspended in the daylight, a familiar blonde lounging on the hood with a golden bow beside him, lazily observing Ares. And to its right, a familiar Greek silver chariot hovered silently, the lone occupant aiming a silver arrow at Eris.

Ares tore the arrow free and rounded on the one who had fired it. His eyes widened in shock as he saw who it was.

Apollo readied a second arrow and took aim at the war god. "Now then," he began. "Let's just see if we can't put some order to this chaos…"

Ares tore his sword out of the floor and advanced on the sun god whilst Artemis' arrow began to glow with blinding silver light.

Eris's eyes burned with rage at the moon goddess as she readied her blade.

Ares lunged forward…

Eris charged…

And the twin gods fired.

_To be concluded..._

-XA-

[A/N] And so only one chapter remains. I will see you all then.

To be concluded in Chapter 9: Bereavement


	9. Chapter 9: Bereavement

[A/N] And so we reach the final chapter of our tale, you have my thanks for staying with me to read this long. To all those who have reviewed, your support always helped and kept me going so special thanks to you too. And of course, special thanks to Shrrgnien for her Beta work and making the reupload possible. Ach well, enough rambling from me, I'm sure you'd much rather just get right on with it so…

Standard perspective rules are in play:

-?- Third Person

-S- Selene-cam

-A- Armani-vision

**Counterpart**

**Chapter 9: Bereavement**

-?-

Ares bounded across the room. The golden arrow streaking towards him bounced harmlessly off his blood-red breastplate, and he leapt clear across the distance to the sun god's chariot, landing with a crash on the hood beside Apollo. The vehicle's suspension buckled in midair from the force of the landing.

Apollo himself rolled back and stood on the driver's seat to avoid the war god's landing.

Ares rounded on him and raised his blade to strike the much shorter Olympian. Apollo, however, seemed more concerned with the shiny red surface of his chariot. "Seriously! Look what you just did!" he snapped, stabbing a finger at Ares' feet, which were now embedded in the hood's surface, creating two size-twelve dents.

Ares glanced down and pulled his boots free, smirking at Apollo. "Oops. But don't think that makes us even for shooting me in the back, Sunshine."

Apollo frowned. "If you're working with Eris, then you know I _have_ to stop you."

Ares shrugged. "I couldn't care less what that psycho chick is up to, but after _accidentally_ causing a bit of damage to my lady friend's place, I really can't allow her precious mirror to get messed up, too. If I do, she'll end up giving me the cold shoulder for months."

Apollo frowned. "_Mirror_? Why would we want - _yikes!_" Apollo ducked as Ares swung his sword, separating the sun god from several of his blonde hairs, but luckily not from his head.

The war god chuckled as he twirled his huge blade playfully. "Come to think of it, after all these millennia, you and me have never actually had a proper chance to play, have we?"

Apollo backed up a step, onto the back seat. "Unfortunately, you and I seem to enjoy very different kinds of games."

Ares' smirk turned vicious. "Yeah, well, today you're playing my game whether you like it or not. If you want me to stand aside, then you're going to have to make me, Music Boy."

The sun god frowned. "Very well, then I-" he was cut off as Ares took his words as a cue to move and swung his blade to slice open the sun god.

Apollo barely managed to block, using a sword he had whipped out from somewhere behind him. The air trembled and sparks flew at the connection of their blades.

"Not bad, Sparky. Where did you pull that little butter knife from?"

Apollo smiled back. "My wheels, cousin; you'd be shocked just how customized this baby is. What I was _about_ to say was that we can fight, but not here."

Ares pulled back and inclined his head towards the devastated apartment. "Ladies first."

Apollo sighed at the clichéd insult and leapt cleanly over the distance, skidding to a halt in the damaged building. Ares followed a second later, his larger stature causing him to land with another loud crash, destroying the small collection of occasional furniture he landed on.

He turned to Apollo and readied his blade.

Apollo raised his sword, its golden cross-guard and silver-threaded hilt glinting in the sunlight. The weapon itself was actually a proportionally larger duplicate of his nephew's, only far more glitzy.

His clothes shimmered as he took a stance; his t-shirt and jeans morphed themselves into traditional golden Greek battle armor, his helmet materializing on his head.

Ares grinned. "Well, I'll be; it actually looks like you're going to take this seriously."

Apollo glared at Ares. "You have absolutely no idea just how serious this really is."

He laughed in response. "Maybe not, but you know the only language I really speak," he said, flicking the blade of his sword to indicate his point, "so why don't you _show me_ just how serious this really is."

Apollo bared his teeth and lunged forwards, each step leaving a scorch mark on the carpet. He swung about and slammed his sword down against Ares' own. The blade slid down its length. Apollo used the momentum to spin into a roundhouse kick, which Ares' hand shot up and caught.

The war god smirked as he swung the sun god around with one hand, slamming him through a wall like a large, armored doll. He pulled back, dragging Apollo free, and swung him around, then down into the floor. The entire structure trembled under the force of the impact.

Apollo coughed as the wind was knocked clean out of him.

"Pathetic," spat Ares as he dragged Apollo up by his ankle.

"Don't count me out… _just yet!_" the sun god shouted. He hooked his other leg around Ares' lower arm and, with blinding speed, swung himself up and slammed his protected head square into the larger god's face.

Ares recoiled and released Apollo who, as he fell, slammed his palms into the floor for leverage and planted both feet square into Ares' chest, sending the war god hurtling back and embedding him halfway into a concrete supporting wall.

Apollo flipped himself nimbly off one hand and back to his feet. He grabbed his sword and began advancing on Ares, who was now doing his best to dislodge himself.

-?-

Artemis deflected Eris' blade with the shaft of her bow, causing the larger goddess to skid past her and land flat in the back of the chariot.

Her lunge had been clumsy at best, which was unsurprising considering an arrow had found its way into her upper leg just as she was about to jump into the chariot.

Eris cursed and tore Artemis' arrow free of her leg. Snarling, she gripped the hilt of her sword and swung it up at the moon goddess, whose waiting dagger stopped it mid-strike.

Eris was about to begin another attack when she froze, Artemis' second dagger pressed into her throat.

"I have one question," Artemis began, regarding the other goddess coldly. "Do you really think you have a chance at defeating me? Because I should warn you; I'm here on a somewhat personal basis, and unless you do as I dictate, I may be forced to become somewhat…_forceful_…with you, Eris."

Indignation flashed over the minor goddess' face as she dropped her sword.

Artemis pulled back slightly. This was a mistake, as Eris, more than a little upset, lashed out and punched the moon goddess square in the face.

Artemis gasped and staggered back a single step, pressing a hand to her nose.

Eris was breathing heavily, rage overtaking her. "You think you're so damned superior, don't you? Well, let me tell you-"she was cut off in the middle of her tirade as Artemis' hand clamped itself around her throat, choking the words away.

The goddess turned back around, a rivulet of golden blood trickling from her nose and her eyes awash with rage. She lifted the struggling Eris up with one hand, swung about, and hurled her unceremoniously out of her chariot and back into the apartment, sending her sprawling into a waiting heap of debris.

Eris emerged a moment later on her hands and knees, disheveled, grazed and even more enraged than before. She didn't even have time to properly pull herself up when the dull grey streak of her own sword shot through the air and pierced clean through her arm, pinning her to the floor.

Eris screamed in pain as Artemis leaped into the room with a forward flip, skidded sideways and kicked the injured goddess square in her chest, dislodging the sword and sending her spinning across the room. Somehow, Eris managed to recover with her uninjured arm, and propelled herself back to her feet. With a wild cry, she lunged at Artemis, dragging them both to the floor in a heap.

-?-

Apollo halted as Ares' glare changed, and suddenly the war god began chuckling. "Something funny?" Apollo asked.

He shook his head from his sprawled out position, still embedded in the wall, and pointed a finger past the sun god. "Check it out, Apollo," and he then said the only phrase in existence that could make Apollo drop his guard in this situation. "_Girl-fight!_"

"_Oh?_" said Apollo, swinging about reflexively as Artemis and Eris thrashed about in an attempt to tear the other apart. Apollo's view was disrupted, however, as Ares suddenly kicked him in the backside with the flat of his boot, sending him face first into the carpet.

Ares used the momentum of his kick to shrug himself free as Apollo pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his behind and retrieving his sword.

Apollo turned and frowned at Ares. "First of all, it's bad form to kick someone from behind."

The war god shrugged. "You dropped your guard."

"You called girl-fight! It was demanded by combat etiquette that I immediately stop whatever I was doing and turn to watch."

Ares nodded. "That is certainly true…"

"_Secondly_, that's my sister over there. _Don't_ call girl-fight unless the other person can enjoy it; it's also very bad form to disappoint someone like that."

"My bad," Ares admitted.

Apollo nodded. "Alright then. Now, where were we?"

"Right about here," Ares said, swinging his broadsword with such speed that the force sent Apollo hurtling backwards through the air and crashing into a portrait of Aphrodite.

Ares winced. "Ouch, that one's gonna cost me."

Apollo pulled his head free of Aphrodite's midriff and turned, shakily raising his sword again. Ares laughed heartily. "You've got fire in you, Apollo, I'll give you that."

Apollo cocked his head. "Sun god, remember? It comes naturally. Now, shall we-"Apollo was cut off, however, as Artemis side-kicked Eris across the room into Ares, sending him staggering onto his behind.

Artemis rose to her feet, features a mask of animalistic rage, and crossed over to Eris. She bent down, grabbed her by the arm, swung her around and slammed her down into the fallen Ares. With a growl, she pulled back and repeated the motion, slamming them both deeper into the floor. She did it again and the entire floor began to crack around them.

Apollo raised a finger. "Umm, sis? As much as I don't want to get in the way of you beating Ares senseless with the nearest blunt object you can find…don't you think we have more pressing matters at hand?"

Having obviously tired of hitting Ares over the head with the goddess of discord, Artemis released Eris' arm and took a few seconds to calm herself. She quickly retied her hair, which had come free of its usual ponytail in the scuffle, and turned away from her opponent. "Of course. Now what comes next?"

"Now it all ends," a weak voice spoke up. It was Eris.

Artemis swung back around. "Meaning _what_?"

She choked out a laugh, coughing up a cloud of golden blood in the process. "You're too late."

Artemis reached down and dragged Eris to her feet by the front of her dress. "Too late for _what_?" she hissed dangerously.

Eris' right eye opened, her left already swollen as her mouth twitched into an ugly smirk. "Their plan was good, but a little badly conceived. It was the only route left open to them, which is why I left the two mirrors intact, and now…the final pieces are in place, and at last my endgame begins."

"Apollo?" demanded Artemis, glancing back at him.

The god glared at Eris. "Just what have you done?"

Her smile widened. "Get ready to watch the fireworks, kiddies, for this promises to be…" she paused to wave a hand dramatically."_Spectacular._" And with that she laughed loudly, reverted to her immortal form, and disappeared from Artemis' grasp in a flash of light.

Artemis regarded her empty hand for a second. "What did she mean, Apollo?" she asked, not turning around.

Apollo was about to answer when a grunting noise from behind him drew his attention away. Ares pulled himself up, rubbing the back of his head. "I've heard of using a woman as a shield before…but a _bat_? Now that's a new one…" he stretched, his back cracking. "Ah, there we go." He glanced about, ignoring the two gods, and groaned at the sight of the devastation. "Oh, Aphrodite's gonna be ticked… First her apartment, then her portrait, now her _mirror's_ going to get broken. This really isn't my day. I hope you're proud of yourselves; I'm probably going to get the silent treatment for months because of this."

Apollo sighed. "Technically, it was you who…hang on…what was that about her mirror?"

Ares rolled his eyes. "I told you before; that chick with the braid, the one who Hades' kid was with, had come here with _vandalism_ in mind."

Apollo frowned. "But why would Selene want to-" he halted mid-sentence as it hit him, and his head snapped in the direction of the bedroom. "Oh, gods, _no_!" he snapped and dashed for the open doorway.

But it was far too late to stop what was about to happen…

-A-

_Keep Running!_

I had neither the time nor the resources to take the beasts that were trailing us.

Don't ask me how, but our path just _happened_ to pass a pack of stray hellhounds, who then took delight in immediately giving chase after what they no doubt saw as a simply wonderful midday meal.

This normally wouldn't have been much of a problem, mind you, as three Hunters could quite easily take out a few hellhounds in the forest, but that wasn't our only problem. For, you see, as we changed course, we _just so happened_ to startle a pair of Laestrygonian Giants, who for some odd reason were mulling about in the forest right in our path.

It was when we picked up a dragon—seriously, a _dragon?_—on our tail that I realized something might just be up.

"What in HADES is going on?" I cried as I dodged a spray of acid from the pursuing serpent.

"It's my mother!" shouted Ari as she glanced over her shoulder. "She must've gotten free!"

"_Eris_ summoned these?" I asked disbelievingly.

She shook her head. "Not exactly, it's more like she's causing us to run into them!"

I groaned as I ran. "So, what? She's cursing us with bad luck?"

Ari inclined her head. "Hmm, something like that, I guess. She's more like Murphy's Law personified!"

_What can go wrong will go wrong…_

The words echoed in my head and I realized just now how well they fit Eris' profile.

"Jeez, was this Murphy guy your half-brother or something, Ari?"

She hummed. "Wouldn't surprise me… My surname's McMurphy, you know."

I shook my head. "How horribly ironic…"

"Hang on a tick," Ari suddenly interjected. She was remaining oddly calm, despite the situation.

"What?" I asked.

"If my mom is twisting things to put us in these beast's paths, then she must've already laid things out so they'd be waiting here for us in advance."

I nodded. "That sounds likely, what's your point?"

"My point is if she already had all these things here, then it's almost as if she _wanted_ us to escape."

I nearly tripped up mid stride, and then glared at the tiny Hunter.

She looked back at me cautiously. "W-What?"

"Ari, oh precious Ari, have you ever heard of the phrase _genre-savvy_?" I asked with a tense smile.

"Umm, no."

"Didn't think so…"

She rolled her eyes and staggered as the dragon roared angrily from behind us. "Yeah, well, at least things can't get any worse!" she shouted over the din.

A second later a spray of acid missed me by an inch, the fumes alone sizzling my cheek.

"Stop _doing _that!" I shouted incredulously at the Huntress.

She frowned. "Doing what?"

"Just…just do me a favor: if you sense yourself about to speak a sentence beginning with the words 'at least', 'well so long as', or containing the word 'unless', do one thing…"

"What?"

"_Clam up!_"

She shot me an angry glare. "I don't have to take that from a boy!"

I probably should've been paying more attention to where I was going, and not holding an argument over my shoulder whilst sprinting for my life, but when I get started…

"Oh, yeah? Well, why don't you try uttering the words 'We'll be fine just so long as the universe doesn't end right this second'!"

She didn't say anything, just kept on staring daggers at me.

"Go on, then!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"I don't wanna!"

"Just say the words, I dare you!"

"Ari, don't get baited. Armani, stop trying to destroy the universe," Aren said, glancing back at the dragon. "That thing sure can run for something so big; it might even catch us at this rate."

I gritted my teeth. It was true; the dragon had been subtly catching up. Its attacks were causing us to falter and it was closing the distance between us. The only bonus was that the other beasts had dropped back further, obviously wary of getting between a dragon and its dinner.

_Only one thing for it, then…_

I heaved a painful sigh, and then dug my heels into the earth.

I skidded a few yards, spinning about in the process to face our scaly pursuer.

I raised my palm up as the dragon charged me. My body began to pulse with white light and I shouted, in as loud and powerful a voice as I could muster, "Stop!"

And the dragon stopped dead.

The beast skidded to a halt, its claws tearing up the undergrowth in the process, and stopped about three feet away from me.

It lowered its head down to face me, teeth bared and acid dripping down onto the ground below.

I didn't budge.

Ari and Aren emerged from the trees, obviously having taken a second to realize what I was doing.

"Armani!" Aren hissed, drawing her bow and taking aim at the dragon's underbelly. "Are you _insane?_"

I cocked my head. "Oh, undoubtedly so, but in this case what I'm doing is quite well thought-out."

She gaped. "That thing's about two seconds away from swallowing you whole!"

I glanced at the dragon and back at Aren. "Not going to happen," I said calmly. Then, adopting the same tone of voice I had once used with my griffon, Tim, I said to the dragon, "You're not going to hurt me, are you, big fella?"

The dragon was perturbed and I could see it. After all, how often does one's lunch talk back to them, especially in a language it could understand?

"Now then," I said firmly, and the beast backed up a step. "If you're that hungry, there's a pair of nice big giants back there. If you really must, you can go and eat _them_, okay?"

The dragon blinked and sniffed the air over its shoulder, then glanced almost questioningly back at me.

I waved the beast off with a hand. "Go on now, off you go."

The dragon hesitated, then turned and dashed back in the opposite direction.

I let out a calm sigh. "There, three birds with one stone. Now, let's be off."

Aren paused, looking quite pale. "How… did you do that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I've sort of talked to a dragon once before. If I had to guess, I'd say that if it's a beast that lives entirely on instinct, I can communicate with it. I feel sorry for the poor guy, really; I'm guessing giant meat is quite tough."

"B-but what if it didn't work?"

Again I shrugged and began walking past her. "Then we wouldn't be having this conversation, Q.E.D. Come along now…"

-A-

It wasn't long after that we emerged from the forest, Thalia's pine on top of its hill in the distance.

Thankfully, the rest of the creatures chasing us seemed to have ceased their pursuit, but when you've got a dragon charging you head on, your first instinct is usually to run off in the opposite direction.

I didn't pause to admire the scenery, dashing for the camp across the open fields, the two Hunters on my flanks.

-A-

I skidded to a halt at the top of the hill; the familiar sight of Camp Half-Blood was spread out before me under the bright early summer sun. Its apparent peacefulness starkly contrasted the insanity that was going on around it.

"Come on…" I said after a pause, and began striding towards the Big House.

We were almost to the door when Ari spoke up. "Tell me something…"

"Hmm?"

And then she asked the question I had been dreading since we escaped from Eris. "Why did Eris call Aren your girlfriend?"

My hand clenched around the doorknob. "Forget about it; she was just trying to throw you off."

Ari hummed, and I could see her glancing between us. "Funny, you blushed awfully hard when she said it."

"It's none of your-" I snapped, then froze and glanced at the shorter Hunter. There was a mischievous glint in her eye.

"I was right, wasn't I?" I noticed she seemed perkier at the gossip than any Hunter of Artemis really should be.

I rolled my eyes and turned back around, opening the door. "Like I was saying; it's none of your business," I said humorlessly.

I strolled into the Big House, glancing cautiously about.

"Have you kissed?"

I nearly tripped over my own feet at that. Righting myself, I rounded on her. "Listen here, Ms McMurphy-"

"Ari McMurphy the second," she corrected, a small smirk on her lips.

"As I was – gods, there was _another_ one of you once?—_anyways!_ I'm sure you don't want your sisters catching wind about how you've been joking around with a _boy_ now, do you?"

She shrugged. "Poking fun is different; helps take my mind off things."

I gave pause at that. I supposed the current situation must've been pretty painful for her. "_Alright_, just tone it down, this is a serious situation," I said, glancing about the room. No one appeared to be in. Everyone else must've been down at the camp; even Mr. D didn't seem to be present, though I doubted he'd care we were here one way or the other.

"Plus, you're not the only one who's feeling extremely uncomfortable right now," Aren suddenly spoke up. "How do you think _I _feel?"

I hesitated as I regarded her. "If it's of any comfort, it's _technically_ none of your business, either."

For some reason, this seemed to upset her. "Excuse me? I've just found out I've got a _boyfriend_ in some twisted alternate world!"

"We're not…" I snapped, trailing off, then continued quietly, "…We're not like that. It's sort of…Well…it's kind of complicated."

Aren glowered at me. "_Yeah_? Try me."

I shook my head and headed for the stairwell. "You wouldn't understand, not you…"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she demanded indignantly.

I stopped with a hand on the banister rail, clenching my teeth in frustration. "There's… something you wouldn't get, something I think only she would."

"And that is?" she asked, her indignation not even remotely quelled.

"That I'm in love you!" I barked, swinging about.

_Umm…The universe is in trouble, you might just want to-_

Aren paled. "Don't fool yourself. But if that other version of me _is _sick enough to-"

_Oh, snap!_

I cut her off _right there_. "You have _no_ idea what you're talking about, Aren!" I stopped and shook my head. "You know what the worst part is? I look at you and I see nothing but a painful reminder of what I've lost…Of what I may never get back. And in just a few moments this world may become nothing _but_ a painful reminder. So forgive me if I don't feel in the mood to quell your upset over something that, quite frankly, has not a damned thing to do with you!" I took several angered breaths, swung back about and marched up the steps.

_Trust you to succeed in having a lover's spat with someone you've just met. On the bright side, I'm sure Apollo will put you out of your misery quite quickly should we fail at this._

_Oh, shut up…_

-A-

Ari and Aren didn't follow for a moment, meeting me at the top of the attic stairs.

I glanced about wordlessly; it was so quiet and peaceful, and much more orderly compared to the hell that I had left the version of it that existed in my world.

At least the roof was still on.

"What are you waiting for?" Aren asked, breaking the stark silence that dominated the room.

My eyes were locked on a box in the far corner. I clenched my fist at my side.

_Now or never, then…_

"Absolutely nothing," I replied, and began strolling over to the box, the Hunters following cautiously behind.

I knocked the boxes on top to the side. The box of weapons fell open, and a long two-handed sword skittered across the room, giving an out-of-tune rendition of "Yellow Submarine". The one with the jars in it toppled over and sent its contents rolling across the floor. Ari yelped as a jar containing a certain pickled body part bumped into her ankle.

"Careful, Ari…" I muttered as I dragged out the box I needed.

"It's in there?" Aren asked as I tore off the yellowed tape.

"I sure as Hades hope so," I responded, opening the box.

It was exactly as I remembered it. I didn't beat around the bush as I took a deep steadying breath, reached in and grabbed the pink mirror.

Nothing happened.

I frowned and shook the plate slightly.

Ari leaned around to look at the object. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know… something should happen, last time when I touched it-" suddenly a fragment of a sentence said by Chiron struck a chord:

'_-thinking about the possibility of one another-'_

"The possibility of one another…" I mumbled.

"What'd you say?" Aren asked, polishing the mirror with her tunic to clear some of the dust off it.

"Sorry, just something Chiron said. He said one of the only ways the gateway could've been formed was if we were thinking of the _possibility_ of one another whilst touching them."

"And were you thinking about that when you first touched it?"

I frowned as I thought back to that day. "I remember thinking, somewhat exhaustedly, that sometimes it would be easier if I really _were_ a girl."

"But Selene wouldn't think something like that!" Aren objected.

I inclined my head. "Wish the opposite? Oh, I don't know; considering how peeved she seemed when I saw her encounter Aphrodite in her suite, I wouldn't be shocked if part of her, just for a second, thought the same thing as I."

"So…" Ari intervened, "You just need to _think_ about her?"

I regarded the dusty reflective surface. "The possibility of her; the possibility of her being in that exact place and in that exact- holy _HADES_!" I cried as the surface of the mirror shimmered and erupted in blinding light. Both Aren and Ari grabbed me by the shoulders to steady my arms and prevent me from dropping the mirror.

"So, then…" A familiar voice suddenly spoke up, and I opened my eyes to find an identical pair looking back at me. "…We really are as crazy as one another!"

A smile spread across my face. "It would seem so. How depressing is that?"

Selene smiled. She was standing with her hand on the surface of the mirror, Nico behind her in the middle of what looked like a war zone.

"Armani!" Nico called, leaning closer. "You okay?"

I shrugged. "Still in one piece, it would seem."

Suddenly the two Hunters poked their heads excitedly over my shoulders, crowding in to get a look. "Selene! Oh, thank Zeus, you're okay!"

Selene's smile widened. "Ari and Aren…and yes, as you can see, also still in one piece."

I butted in. "Umm, I'm all for happy reunions, but can we save them for _after_ we save the universe?"

Selene nodded. "Good point. So, how are we gonna do this?"

I thought about it for a second. "Once broken, the glass needs to pierce your skin in order to anchor you to the power. It'd probably only have to be for a second."

She frowned. "Yeah, that much I've got, but how do we do that?"

I shrugged. "Simple. We break them with our bare hands."

She glanced at her hand and balled it into a fist. Then glanced at me out the corner of her eye. "You mean, just punch it? You think that'll work?"

My eyes were drawn to the scar on the back of my right hand. I returned my gaze to her. "…Like a charm," I said with a sad smile.

She didn't question me, but took a step back in preparation.

I braced the mirror between a rafter and the wall so it was on eye level. When I looked back into it, Selene was looking back at me, a strange look in her eye. "Problem?"

She glanced away, gripping her arm. "Listen…if this works, then…"

I nodded, a sad smile on my face. "…Yeah, I know; this is goodbye."

"Looks that way. Guess it just goes to show, no world is big enough for the both of us."

"An unfortunate, if somewhat clichéd, truth. Let's go," I said, clenching my fist and raising it up.

She nodded and took a stance, raising her own hand in readiness to strike. "On three?"

"Of course…Goodbye, sis.'"

She blinked and nodded, a similar smile on her face. "See you, little brother."

"Hey? Why am I the-"

She cut me off, smirking mischievously. "One…"

I rolled my eyes and braced a foot for leverage. "Two…"

We both paused, then said in perfect unison, "THREE!"

Our fists struck the glass surfaces in the same moment.

I dug my heels in as a wave of power erupted from the shiny surface and it exploded into fragments, an eternity of blinding light shining from behind the cracks as the glass sliced into my knuckle and a shard pierced into the flesh.

I screamed out in pain as a surge of heat went through my blood and my vision was filled with nothing but pink light.

There was a deafening crash like thunder as the world seemed to explode around me.

Then silence…

-A-

I dared to open my eyes a second later and survey my surroundings.

I was still in the attic.

But something was wrong…

I was staring down at the blood starting to well up around the wound in my hand. The crimson fluid was threaded with lattices of pulsing pink light.

_What?_

"Armani…_look_." Aren's voice spoke up, shocked and fearful. I noticed there was no echo and that the room was now oddly quiet.

I glanced up in front of me and my eyes widened in both shock and confusion.

The mirror was hanging broken in the air, its fragments frozen mid-shatter, linked together by a hovering web of pink energy. Each shard was connected by a stream of light that joined it to the central mass of light. It looked like time had been stopped in that one place, an explosion frozen in the moment.

"What's happening?" asked Aren, her voice a cautious whisper.

I shook my head. "I have absolutely no idea," I said, stepping forward and looking carefully at the frozen mirror.

I raised my hand up and carefully tapped one of the shards. It made a strange _ding_ as I touched it and slowly spun at the contact, like flicking a wind chime on a calm day.

As I pulled back my finger I felt a wetness run down the top of it as a single drop of blood ran down to the tip, then dripped off into the air…

Suddenly, and violently, a beam of light shot out from the mass, like lightning shooting out towards a rod, and connected with the falling drop of blood.

The crackling crimson drop held there for a second, then began glowing a brilliant pink. Suddenly, with an explosion that sent me flying back across the attic, that frozen moment of time began moving again…

-S-

"STOP!" Apollo's voice boomed through the room as he kicked aside the remaining bits of the door, dashed across the room and dragged me by the shoulders away from the cracked mirror, shafts of blinding light shining from behind the cracks.

"What are you _doing_?" I snapped, thrashing in the sun god's arms.

"You've got to get away from that thing!" he shouted, swung me about and tossed me to the ground in the doorway.

I landed flat on my back and Apollo immediately began examining the mirror, running a hand over the fractured surface. He swung back about and grabbed my injured hand, examining it quickly. "A connection was made, but as long as you keep away from it, it should stop you from being anchored."

I snatched my hand back. "What in Hades do you think you're doing?"

"It wouldn't have worked!" He roared, his eyes ablaze with sunlight, then glanced away. "Well, it _would _have, but not in the way you think!"

I glowered at him. "What in Zeus' name are you on about?"

"Look at your hand!" He commanded.

I glanced down at my bleeding hand and noticed with shock that there were threads of pink light in the fluid. As I watched, though, they seemed to fade. "Apollo, what's going on?"

He stood up, regarding the mirror as he spoke. "That's the connection to the mirror, and it's fading. Thankfully you weren't fully anchored to it. I stopped you just in time. At the moment, the breach looks like it's hanging by a thread, so long as you make sure no part of you touches-"

He was interrupted by a flash of pink light from the cracks between the mirror.

Apollo flinched back a step. "Oh, no. Oh, please don't tell me…"

I glanced between the pulsing light and the god. "What are you talking about, Apollo? What's going on?"

Apollo kept his wide eyes on the light. "I don't understand! Why didn't the other me _stop him_?"

I would've asked what he meant had the entire wall not begun trembling.

The light began expanding, and the space across the mirror began warping inwards and blending with that strange pink luminescence until the entire structure was shaking. The area in front of me continued to curve inward upon itself, like a swirling pink vortex.

The entire back wall exploded inwards into the distortion, followed quickly by the rest of the back of the building, until the open sky behind was visible.

The distortion in the air began widening and spreading until it was the exact rectangular shape the mirror had occupied in the place the wall had been. Then, from the middle, it began opening up, like someone had stuck their hands into the centre and began forcing space itself open.

My heart skipped a beat as the opening spread out to the full size of the space the mirror had occupied, and revealed what was on the other side:

The attic at Camp Half-blood, and Armani Dove…

-A-

_Okay…That was weird._

I wiped my bloodied hand and stood up as the distortion settled down. Behind it stood a very pale-faced Apollo and Selene, wearing a gaping stare that I'm sure mirrored my own.

I took a hesitant step forwards, glancing down at where the two worlds met. The wooden floor stretched into a blur, which in turn blurred into the carpeted surface of the hotel room.

I glanced back at the Hunters, who seemed to be looking at me for some kind of command. To be honest, I really didn't know what to say. I was equally as clueless as to what was going on as they were. I had a feeling the person across the void might just hold some answers though.

I looked cautiously around the side as Ari, who must have caught sight of who was across the breach now, suddenly lurched forward. "Selene!"

My hand flashed up and grabbed her small shoulder, dragging her to a halt before she could reach the breach.

She struggled for a second but I raised my other hand up cautiously. She got my meaning and took a step back, allowing me to take the lead.

I looked cautiously down at the floor and up at my counterpart, who was staring back at me.

I carefully raised a foot up, stretched my leg gingerly forward across the blur, and touched the tip of my boot down on the carpeted floor, like testing the temperature of bath water.

Satisfied, I put my foot down and pulled myself across the gap, staggering slightly as I got my balance.

I stood up to full height, looking around at the devastation that surrounded me. I waved behind me, signaling the two Hunters to follow.

Ari and Aren crossed over and immediately went to my counterpart's side. "A-Aren, Ari? What exactly _are_ you doing here?" Selene asked, still stunned too it would seem.

Ari smiled up at the taller girl. "Lady Artemis sent us to find you; we're here to bring you home."

She blinked. "My mother did?"

I was only paying detached attention to the happy reunions; my eyes were on Apollo, who was looking at me as if I had somehow sprung another head since we had last met.

"Uncle…what's going on?"

He just stared at me for another moment. "Why didn't I stop you?" he asked, his voice small and fearful.

_That's not a good sign._

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

He shook his head and snapped himself out of his daze. "The other me, why didn't he stop you like I stopped Selene?"

I glanced to the side. "Umm, was he supposed to?"

"Yes!" he snapped. "You got too close to the crack, didn't you? You anchored yourself and made the connection!" he shouted, as if it were some great crime.

I glanced at the still-bleeding gash on the back of my hand, the blood crackling with pink energy. "B-but it was just a drop, a single drop of blood…"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter how much! The veil between realities was hanging on a knife edge. You are from this universe; when you anchored yourself to the breach you made yourself a physical part of it and it tore through to the world of your origin—_this one_!"

I frowned. "Yeah, I got that, but isn't that what we were after? I'm _back,_ after all."

He rolled his eyes, as if trying to get me to understand that one plus one equaled two. "Don't you get it? It would've been fine had it been just you trying to cross over, but _Selene_ was doing it at the same time! You were punching a hole in reality from both sides simultaneously! Like two people punching a pane of glass from both sides at the same time; you'd do a lot more than simply punch a hole in it!"

Though I _didn't_ get it, I still felt myself pale. "Uncle, what are you saying?"

He shook his head. "The only consolation is that Selene didn't manage to fully open it on this side too, so the effect shouldn't happen on her home side of the breach."

I gritted my teeth with frustration. "_What effect_? What's going on, Uncle? Forgive me, but in case you didn't know, I don't exactly have a very firm graspon transdimensional physics!"

He snarled back and stabbed a finger at the breach. "Look behind it!"

I frowned and walked cautiously behind the portal. From the sides it seemed to funnel down with a blur to a single point, and at that single point…

_What in Hades…._

…From that single point extended a pink line of energy. It stretched off across the skies and beyond the horizon like a glowing, jagged scar in the sky.

"It extends all the way to Camp Half-Blood," Apollo said from behind me. "To the exact point you left from in the other world."

"Armani!" I swung about at the sound of my mother's voice. She was looking at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. "I don't understand…How can you…" she said, walking slowly towards me and touching a small, warm hand to my cheek, as if to confirm I wasn't some kind of illusion.

I grasped the hand as if to gain some strength from it. "I'm back… If you want to know how, ask Apollo."

Her hand dropped down, instead grabbing hold of my arm, as if I would disappear again if she let me go. She turned to her brother, "Apollo?"

He was just glaring out over the skyline, looking at something I couldn't see. "I'm so sorry, sis. I wasn't quick enough…it's starting."

"What's sta-" Her enquiry was cut off as a sound like thunder roared across the skies. My head swung back towards the scar and watched with horror as the jagged edges began spreading out.

New cracks began forming in the skies, each followed by another crashing sound as they spread out into smaller cracks, like giant pink glowing ice crystals spreading across the skyline.

"Apollo…" Selene spoke up, her wide eyes glued to the sky as the cracks spread across it. "Is this what you were talking about?" She paused to swallow a fearful lump that had welled in her throat. "Are the realities going to cancel each other out?" she asked as Ares slowly walked into the room, rubbing the back of his head.

He glanced out over the skyline. "Wow…cosmic. What are you all up to?"

Apollo ignored Ares completely and merely shook his head, answering Selene's query. "No…That's not what's happening, although in the end I feel that would be far more merciful."

"What_ is_ happening?" Artemis demanded.

"Shall I answer that for you?" A level female voice suddenly spoke up, along with the sound of heeled shoes walking across a wooden floor.

All of us turned to see Eris calmly striding across the attic floor towards the portal. She looked down and hopped nimbly across with a "tally ho!"

Apollo staggered back a step. "What in Hades do you think you're doing?" he roared at the goddess. "There can't be two of the same Olympian occupying the same universe! Do you have _any _idea what coming here could do, or even what the lack of your presence is causing your own world?"

Eris waved him off. "Oh, hush, Apollo, I know the rules. But you see, I haven't technically left my own world; not entirely. It's a shame you stopped my avatar, though; things would've moved along a lot more speedily had it started on both sides of the breach. But no matter; it'll happen to my side eventually."

"What will happen?" Selene barked.

Eris sighed. "Patience, my avatar, I'm coming to it."

I glared at the goddess. "This is what you were after, then…"

She turned on me and smiled. "Yes, precisely, and I'm so, _so_ proud of you. Of you both…" she whispered in a terrifyingly maternal way as she reached out to touch my cheek, in a perversely similar manner to my mother.

My mother obviously didn't like the idea much, either, as her hand shot out and violently batted Eris' away. The goddess staggered back a few paces, a golden welt on the back of her hand.

"Oh, how barbaric…" she said in mock hurt.

"Get on with it, Eris; we're all waiting for you to regurgitate your stupid exposition. We're listening intently for your stirring oration about how this was your plan all along: to collapse the worlds…or…or _whatever_ it is you're up to," I said angrily.

The false anger in her eyes turned genuine as she glared at me. "_Fine…_" She turned and walked to the edge of the floor, where it gave way to the open view of the skyline. "I suppose I should begin by saying I was lying when last we spoke."

"I gathered. The whole 'me being pulled through was a setback' line you spat out; I'm guessing it was entirely the opposite."

She nodded. "You catch on so well! That's one of the reasons I've always liked you two. _Yes_, it was in fact one of the lynch pins that you be on the other side to ensure this all went down. I felt that saying that I hadn't planned it would give you enough of a glimmer of hope to think you were acting of your own accord."

"And that bull about just stalling us long enough for the breach to reopen itself and collapse both worlds?"

She smiled patronizingly. "Oh, now, that _would_ have been terrible. Did you really think I wanted the worlds reduced to a realm of pure chaos where only I could exist? Surely not; that'd just be _boring_. Where would the upheaval be? Where would the _change_ be? Ari was quite right; chaos for the sake of chaos is pointless."

"And that look of concern when I mentioned her possible death at what would've happened?"

She cocked her head. "Quite genuine, actually, of that I can assure you. I am still a mother, and I did find the prospect of my children's deaths distressing."

"Alright then…So what exactly is going on? What's happening, Eris?"

She extended a slender hand towards the skies. "The universe…Has become cracked."

Selene sighed, "What are you? The goddess of the painfully obvious? I thought you just said you _didn't _want realities to collapse in on each other."

"That's not what she's done…" Apollo said, his body glowing with rage. "She didn't want to destroy the walls between realities; she just wanted to _weaken_ them…"

Eris clapped her hands together. "Gold star to the sun god! That's precisely it. It's also how I'm able to stand on this side of the breach; the walls between this world and my own have become so thin I'm technically able to exist in both without actually leaving it."

"But why?" I asked. "What's the point of just 'cracking' reality?"

She smiled. "Upheaval and change. Through the cracks, things will be able to come and go from every other reality conceivable. You'll never be without something fun to deal with!"

Apollo glowered at her, his anger barely contained. "The only things capable of pushing through those cracks would be creatures of such power you wouldn't _want_ them entering your reality! Nightmares will ravage this world and all others, creatures of such inconceivable horror will rend entire realities asunder; whole civilizations will collapse!"

Eris shrugged. "If that's the final effect, then so be it. It's the upheaval and change I'm interested in. Reality will still exist, but it'll be much more… _interesting_."

I glanced out at the sky and I shuddered as I looked between some of the wider cracks.

There were things waiting on the other side.

I saw a large eye, curious and malevolent, regarding our world. Through another opening there was a large tentacle-like limb the size of a city block bashing against the fabric of space. I looked to others, and I would rather not describe the countless horrors I saw waiting to punch through into the world.

"_Interesting_?" Apollo bellowed, his voice thick with emotion. "_Interesting_ isn't the word, Eris! You'll turn this world into hell! All worlds! Countless billions, _trillions_ across limitless universes will be killed because of this!"

Again…she just shrugged and examined her black fingernails. "Upheaval isn't always pleasant, Apollo. I just cause it, I don't settle it."

There was a deafening sound like shattering glass as the tentacle-like limb smashed through the veil and shot down through the air towards us.

My mother released me, and both she and Apollo summoned their bows on reflex and began firing bolts of silver and gold energy at the appendage as it thrashed up towards us.

Ares leapt up, his blade flaming, and sliced the tip of the limb down the middle.

There was a spray of black blood, along with a deafening alien squeal of pain from behind the crack, and suddenly the damaged tentacle was pulled back into the darkness.

Ares landed and swung around to face Apollo. "Alright, Captain Sunshine, just what in Hades is going on around here?"

"Weren't you listening?" Apollo demanded.

Ares rolled his eyes. "All I heard was 'blah blah, I'm a crazy lady, blah blah…'"

Eris clapped with glee. "See, isn't this _fun_?" she said, positively beaming with delight.

I stared numbly out over the skies as I watched the world quite literally go to hell. "Uncle…" I said suddenly, interrupting him from his exasperated attempt to explain the situation to Ares. "…Is there nothing you can do to stop this?"

He stopped and regarded me. I watched as desperation crossed his features, then despair. "I'm sorry."

I turned back to the descending chaos. I regarded the stinging gash on the back of my hand. Each time something bashed against the cracks, the light in my blood pulsed madly. I felt Selene approach my side.

_Looks like this is it…_

"I always knew we were a born pair of troublemakers…"

I smiled sadly and inclined my head. "Such a tiresome world; always felt I never really was compatible with it, to be honest; this tiresome, exasperating, insane, annoying, ugly, _beautiful world…_"

She rested a hand on my shoulder. "They'll have to take the pair of us, though. I suppose this is all our fault, after all."

I regarded her hand out of the corner of my eye. The cut was bleeding out pristine crimson blood. I compared it to the glowing gash on my own hand and heaved a tired sigh.

_I guess there's only one thing for it, then…_

"No…Not your fault, just mine…"

She looked at me in confusion and I raised my partially glowing hand up in front of her.

She stared at it wordlessly and then looked back to me. As her eyes met mine I gave a small smile. "Time for you to go home, Selene."

She shook her head as understanding crossed across her face. "_No…_"

I squeezed her bleeding hand. "Come now, neither of us are ones for self-pity."

She swallowed a lump and I held her gaze with mine, understanding passing between us.

"You're impossible to the end."

I laughed quietly. "I wouldn't want to be any other way…Now, off you go, sister. I've got a story to end."

She took a steadying breath as a single tear fell from her eye.

"And none of that, either; be strong for me, until the end."

She steeled herself and put on a calm mask, turning and walking for the breach. "Ari, Aren…_Let's go._"

Aren opened her mouth to object. "We can't just-"

"I said we're going!" she snapped with her back turned so no one could see her face. "We have to go back."

"Listen to her, "I said. "You're on a mission for Lady Artemis, and it's time for the two of you to go."

They were clearly hesitant to leave us to our fate, but their duty towards their goddess was prevalent. Reluctantly, they obeyed and crossed back to their own world. Selene paused at the edge and gave me one final glance.

It would be the last time I ever saw her. I sent her a farewell smile.

As she turned away, I spoke up. "There is _one_ last thing I'd like to ask; something that's been nagging away at me since we first met."

She paused, not turning. "What?" she asked, her voice thick with emotion.

"Just what did Apollo name you after?"

She choked out a laugh and I could tell she had just wiped a tear from her eye. "I suppose you've earned that much…There was a poem on his nightstand, on the day he took me to the orphanage. It was called _Ode to my Precious Selene_. Nico tells me you were named after one of his suits."

I couldn't contain a laugh. "Oh ho, named after one of his suits, or named after one of his poems…I think I won on that one."

She was silent for a second. "I have just one last thing to say to you, too…"

"And what's that?"

She took another steadying breath. "If I _were_ born a boy, I'd just like you to know…I'm glad that I'd be you."

She couldn't see me smile back in response. "The feeling's quite mutual."

Sentimentality pushed aside, I turned to Apollo. "Uncle, I have a plan," I announced suddenly.

The sun god swung about, lowering the bow he had aimed out over the skyline. He frowned. "What?"

"I _said,_ I have a plan. You need to destroy the breach itself," I explained.

He rolled his eyes. "And how do you suggest I pull that off?"

I pointed at the gap in the air. "You hit the breach with your fate arrow and wipe it out of existence."

Suddenly Eris laughed. "You imbecile, do you _really_ think something like that would actually work?"

I kept my gaze on the sun god. "Uncle, if you ever chose a time to trust me, then I swear on the River Styx, this is it." I flinched as a great inhuman cry echoed across the skies from one of the cracks.

He glanced cautiously at the source of the sound, then groaned. "Smashing plan, but even if that could work, in case you don't recall, you _destroyed_ the arrow. It'll take a while yet to properly regenerate."

"Uncle, it's the only chance we've got. You _have _to try."

He frowned at me. "I suppose I could give it a go, whatever little good it would do, but I doubt it'd even be _close_ to full power."

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter; I'll take what you can get, but we _have_ to try!"

He shook his own head in response. "Better than standing around doing nothing, I guess…"

He handed his bow to my mother and spread his arms wide. With a flash, a half-melted pair of knitting needles appeared in one hand, a snapped pair of scissors in the other.

Apollo looked at them in despair. "I'm not sure I can pull this off."

"Give it a go, uncle!" I snapped, eying the spreading cracks.

He clenched his teeth and the implements began blurring together slowly. They crackled and distorted as Apollo brought both hands together. Then they were pushed apart, as if having trouble merging.

He let out a groan of strain and slammed his hands together.

There was a flash, and then he was holding that blurred shape of his fate arrow.

"I'm not sure how long I can hold this together, or even if it will work, but-"

"But it will have to do!" I snapped. "Take aim!" I pointed to a low point in the air in the centre of the opening.

The sun god shook his head as he picked up his bow and nocked the distorted shape. "I'm not sure how exactly this will help, but if you know something I don't, then-" he cocked his head acceptingly and aimed at the point I had indicated.

He began pulling the drawstring back. Selene and the Hunters stood to the side on the other side of the breach for safety.

_Wait for it…_

Eris laughed. "And what exactly do you-" suddenly she paused. Her head snapped around towards me and her eyes widened in shock as I shot her a dark smirk. "No!" she shouted, but it was too late.

Apollo's hand opened, and he loosed the arrow.

And with one swift movement… I stepped into its path.

-?-

Armani gasped as the arrow stabbed into his chest and staggered back a single step, but didn't fall. He remained propped upright, as if pinned to an invisible wall. He winced at first, then relaxed as he realized that even as the arrow slowly began to remove his presence in the universe, it was causing him no pain.

He looked down at the blur protruding from his chest and smiled ironically. "Well, I'll be, lightning may not strike the same place twice, but the same apparently can't be said for arrows." He looked up at his mother and uncle with moist eyes. "Good shot."

Artemis dropped her bow and tried to run forwards, but Apollo grabbed her under the arms and dragged her back. "Let me go!" she growled, thrashing in her brother's arms. "Apollo!"

"You can't touch him! he hissed. "If you get caught up in the expulsion…do you have_ any __idea_ what would happen to this world if you suddenly disappeared?"

She let out a despairing cry and went slack in his arms, reaching a hand out towards her son. "_Why_?"

He reached out his own hand, stopping an inch from her own, and looked into his mother's eyes. "I'm so sorry, mother, but it was the only way…" he displayed the back of his injured hand. "I'm a physical part of the breach; the only tangible part that exists. Destroy me, and the damage to reality is erased along with me." He glanced off to the side as the furthest trailing cracks began fizzling away into nothing, closing in around them as the effect took hold.

_Won't be long now…If you've got something to say…_

He sighed as he watched the healing wounds in space and glanced down at the arrow again, cocking his head. "I must say, this ranks amongst the most foolish things I've ever done…"

"Apollo!" Artemis cried. "There must be something, _anything_-"

The sun god shook his head as he gripped onto his sister with trembling hands, and then to his nephew, who simply smiled, he whispered, "You didn't have to… _why _did you…"

Armani laughed. "Even now, the god of poetry can't get his words out. I suppose I'd better start by saying that as much as you infuriate me…I suppose I do love you, uncle. Just swear you won't tell anyone those were part of my last words." He glanced about. "What else? Ah, yes, I suppose, before I go, I'd best admit it: I never read it."

Apollo blinked a tear away to frown. "Read what?"

"That book. Although it was discussing said book with the other Artemis that's delayed your alternate self in getting here. I feel you should know that."

The sun god smiled sadly. "You know, in retrospect, I suppose it wasn't _that_ good."

Armani laughed again, his voice breaking slightly. "Well, I'll be; personal growth… Will you remember me?"

Apollo managed a laugh too. "You're not the forgettable sort."

He smiled in response. "You know that's not what I mean."

He shook his head, golden tears in his eyes. "The arrow didn't have enough power in it to erase your past; our memories of you will remain."

"Well…That's something, I guess."

He then regarded Artemis, who stood limp in Apollo's arms, her eyes filled with anguish; the agony of a mother being forced to watch her only child being torn away in front of her, and unable to do a thing about it.

The cracks were growing smaller, the main gash across the sky closing in on the hotel roof as the breach began to close behind him.

Armani's eyes turned to Eris as her body began to glow and distort as reality forced her back to her own world, like drawing poison from a wound. "I think it's time for you to go, Eris."

As her body faded, she looked at Armani with an unreadable expression, neither happy nor sad, angry or upset, and spoke two simple words before fading back to her own dimension:

"Well played."

He exhaled a breath and at last turned to meet his mother's despairing gaze, smiling sadly. "Oh, mother, I'm so, so sorry…"

"There's nothing I can do?" she choked through her glistening tears.

He merely inclined his head. "You can tell me you love me…I think I'd like that."

"You know I love you! With all I have."

He breathed a happy sigh. "Ahh, that's nice…"

"Armani-" Artemis sobbed, fighting for words that would not come.

"Do me a favor, mother…" he asked levelly as the breach closed, the arrow stabbing through his chest and into a pink spot in the air, as if it had pierced space itself.

Artemis didn't have the strength to enquire what it was he was asking.

His eyes softened. "Look after Lya for me. Tell her…tell her I'm sorry…that I can't be her friend anymore."

He glanced down as his feet began trailing away into speckles of glowing pink dust as oblivion finally reached out to claim him.

As if suddenly struck by a thought, his head snapped back up. "Oh! And Aren! I'd like you to tell her…tell her that I-" he paused as his upper body began to fade.

He then shot his mother a small contented smile, his last smile. for her alone, and gave one final ironic sigh. "…oh, never mind…"

"…She'll know."

_fin_

-XA-

**[A/N]** Well, I suppose I do owe you all an explanation for how the tale finally turned out. The truth is, heroes do not always survive, but they always triumph. Armani's place was always to cause chaos, and he knew the only way to avert his destiny was to remove his future. I'm sorry to you all for not giving a happier ending, but this is the only way things could've turned out, and I hope you've enjoyed the yarn I span. I thank you all who've read, those who reviewed and even those who just spared it a passing glance and continued reading out of morbid curiosity.

And one more thing, before I end this…Do you know when you go to the cinema, and you leave when the lights come on, only to find out after you buy the DVD that you missed out a scene the director had sneakily placed after the ending credits? Well, for those of you who wait…Just in case… Despite how foolish you feel for just sitting there…this is for you.

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_Somewhere…_

"Well, it looks like we were wrong…" the large man said in his deep voice.

"An astounding observation, Butler. Although I am personally grateful, for once, to be mistaken in my assumption, for if it _had _been a Hybras Demon that came through, it would've been even more…painful," the boy responded. His voice was cold, smooth and pondering.

"Well, it was _your _fault, Artemis," responded the short woman who standing nearby as she regarded the prone newcomer.

The boy waved it off. "A minor miscalculation on my part. Even genius isn't perfect. But I must admit, it _was_ most unexpected," he said, crouching down to examine the unconscious boy.

"Which part? That he wasn't a Demon, or that he landed on your head?"she enquired with a smirk.

His black eyebrow twitched irritably. "Oh, how very droll, Holly," he muttered, turning the child's head over and checking his pulse.

"Careful, Artemis…"

His hand moved up the side of the boy's face. "I assure you, Butler, he's _perfectly_-" he began. As he spoke, his hand brushed the sleeping child's right earlobe…

And just like that, Artemis Fowl the Second suddenly found himself missing two of his teeth.

_Fin… for real this time…_

-XA-

[A/N] Come now, you didn't really think I was _done_ with him, now did you? A world of thanks to Shrrgnien for her awesome work as my beta having completed the beta on all three books, she deserves a mountain of kudos for completing such a mountainous task. I'll be back later this summer, probably early August. So, until then…

I'll catch you all in Broken Bow Book 4: A Boy Called Artemis.


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